UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT  LOS  ANGELES 


-I 


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DIARY 


OF  A 


Western  schoolmaster 


J  K  STABLETON 

SUPERINTENDENT    OF   SCHOOLS 
CHARLESTON   ILL 


J  H  MILLER    PDBLI8HEK 


AIXS WORTH  &  COMPANY 
378-388  Wabash  Avenne 
■;?  V  Chicago  III 

u-C      1906 


COPTKIGHTKD 

BY   J.   H.    MILLER. 

1900. 


Becktold 

Pbinting  &  Book  Mfg.  Co., 

St.  Lodis,  Mo. 


a  ^  \j  £j 


JEducatjon 
Library 

/037 
B7I 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

IXTRODUCTIOX 5 

Chapter     I  —  Joe .  11 

II  — Tim 19 

III  —  Clark 31 

IV  _  John 37 

V  — Tad 44 

VI  — Sam      . 48 

VII  — Mark 59 

VIII  — Dick 65 

IX  — Chap 71 

X  — Will 78 

XI  —  Harry 82 

XII  — Tom 86 

(3)  . 


CONTENTS. 

XIII  —  Henry 93 

XIV  — George 99 

XV  — Nira 103 

XVI  —  Nate 109 

XVII  —  Al  and  Walter 120 

XVIII  — Wash 126 

XIX  — Rex 131 

XX  —  Carl  and  Some  Other  Boys      .  133 


■'•l^ 


INTRODUCTION 

;'  ^-2.1,1 
For  the  past  fifteen  years  most  of  my  time  has 
been  given  to  teaching  in  schools  where  I  have  had 
to  deal  with  many  boys  from  twelve, to  twenty  years 
of  age,  boys  in  the  adolescent  period  of  life.  The 
study  of  these  boys  has  been  full  of  interest  to  me ; 
and  while  I  have  made  no  great  discoveries,  my 
faith  in  boys  has  increased  an  hundredfold  and  my 
respect  and  love  for  them  has  grown  more  and 
more. 

\  Not  long  ago  I  visited  a  school  of  bright  young 
^  people  full  to  the  brim,  just  as  they  should  be, 
with  animal  life  and  spirits ;  but  a  glance  told  me 
that  for  real  educational  work  the  school  was  a 
failure.  I  was  interested  and  at  the  close  of  the 
session  had  a  long  talk  with  the  teacher  in  charge. 
It  was  an  eighth  and  ninth  grade  room.  How  I 
pitied  those  young  people.     The  teacher   told  me 

(5) 


V* 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

there  was  not  a  boy  in  the  room  ^ut  ought  to  be 
sent  to  the  State  Reform  School.  He  knew  all  their 
bad  points,  but  had  failed  to  discover  their  good 
qualities.  Again  I  pitied  the  young  people.  This 
teacher  (?)  had  been  in  charge  of  that  school  for 
eight  years,  and  all  the  time  the  boys  had  been 
going  to  "  the  bad."  The  people  said  Mr.  A. 
was  not  much  of  a  teacher,  but  such  a  good  man 
and  his  father-in-law  was  an  influential  man  on  the 
board  of  education ;  so  Mr.  A.  held  his  position 
year  in  and  year  out. 

How  many  such  persons  are  posing  in  our  schools 
to-day,  who  by  their  very  goodness  are  blighting 
the  lives  of  the  boys  of  the  communities  where  they 
are  employed!  Better  far  for  the  boys  if  these 
persons  could  be  pensioned  outright  and  ' '  living  ' ' 
teachers  put  into  their  places ;  teachers  that  have 
unbounded  faith  in  boys ;  teachers  that  have  re- 
ceived a  baptism  of  modern  educational  spirit  and 
believe  it  their  duty  to  study  the  boys  and  the  girls 
even  more  carefully  than  their  arithmetical  problems. 

Then,  too,  I  have  seen  that  other  teacher,  a 
college  graduate,  holds  a  high  grade  certificate, 
keeps  perfect  order,  is  said  to  be  a  fine  disciplin- 
arian, but  the  boys  never  pass  beyond  her  room. 
Where  is  the  trouble?  No  one  blames  her,  she  is 
an  excellent  teacher,  so  say  the  people.     The  fact 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

is  she  neither  understands  nor  appreciates  boys. 
She  is  too  exacting.  Boys  are  loose-jointed  at  this 
age,  mentally  and  physically.  She  thinks  they  \ 
ought  to  step  with  the  same  smoothness  of  move- 
ment as  girls  ;  they  cannot  do  it,  try  they  ever  so 
hard,  and  they  do  not  know  why.  Their  legs  are 
too  long  or  something  is  wrong,  and  their  hands  are  I 
only  inconvenient  appendages.  Yet  they  walk  after 
a  manner  and  use  their  hands  after  a  manner,  too. 
Their  blackboard  work  looks  more  like  the  work  of 
"  scrawlers  "  than  ever  before,  and  the  teacher 
wonders  why  they  are  so  careless.  Did  she  but 
recognize  the  fact  that  these  boys  are  entering  a 
new  state  mentally  and  physically,  and  that  this  un- 
certainty of  all  they  do  is  the  uncertainty  of  their 
new  condition  of  life,  instead  of  nagging  them  she 
would  smile  and  console  herself  with  the  thought 
that  soon,  with  a  little  patience  on  her  part,  they 
would  again  become  acquainted  with  themselves 
and  be  able  to  do  better  than  before. 

The  mechanical  movement  of  this  school  is  beau- 
tiful to  look  at,  but  there  is  no  soul  in  the  work,  no 
longing  oh  the  part  of  the  teacher  to  be  help- 
ful to  those  that  so  much  need  an  uplifting 
friend ;  no  careful  study  of  the  life  of  each  bo^"^, 
mentally,  physically,  and  socially,  to  be  able  to 
reach  the  secret  springs  of  action  to    call  forth  the 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

good  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  teacher  is  glad 
when  some  real  cause  comes  for  a  boy's  dropping 
out  of  school.  I  say  real  cause,  for  did  not  the 
cause  have  semblance  of  reality  she  might  lose  her 
position.  But  did  you  ever  stop  to  consider  how 
very  few  are  the  real  causes  for  boys  leaving  school 
before  they  have  received  some  good  from  the 
higher  grades  ?  This  teacher  does  not  cast  a  single 
lasso  of  interest  about  the  boys  to  bind  them  to 
school,  so  they  drift  away. 

With  superintendents  who  are  in  close  sympathy 
with  boys  and  are  ardent  students  of  boy  life,  and 
the  right  kind  of  principals  and  of  teachers  in  the 
higher  grades,  our  high  schools  would  be  full  of 
boys,  and  the  girls,  too,  would  still  be  there.  It  is 
not  a  question  of  male  or  female  teachers,  but  a 
question  as  to  who  are  such  students  of  boy  life  as 
to  try  to  understand  them  in  this  evolutionary  period 
and  to  work  in  accord  with  the  laws  of  their  being. 

This  transitional  period  comes  to  all  boys,  but  no 
two  are  affected  in  exactly  the  same  way.  We 
should  not  expect  it.  "  Unity  in  variety  "is  the 
law  of  nature  as  well  in  the  physical  and  mental 
development  of  boys  as  in  the  leaves  and  flowers  of 
the  field.  We  may,  to  some  extent,  understand 
"  the  unity,"  but  "  the  variety  "  we  must  refer  to 
some  probably  unknown  psycho-physiological  cause, 


INTRODUCTION.  9 

and  not  mistake  it  for  the  inspirations  of  the  devil. 
After  fifteen  years  of  work  with  boys,  I  am  con- 
vinced that  His  Satanic  Majesty  has  but  little  in- 
fluence over  them  at  this  age,  and  that  when  he  does 
the  teacher  is  too  often  his  chief  executive. 
^That  man  or  that  woman  who  can  look  right  into 
a  bo^'s  heart  and  by  a  mere  glance  of  the  eye  make 
the  boy  feel  that  he  or  she  is  his  friend,  is  a  power. 
I  do  not  understand  it  all,  but  I  do  know  that  the 
eye  is  a  mighty  instrument  for  good,  probably  be- 
cause through  it  the  soul  of  the  teacher  beams  forth 
in  perfect  sympathy  with  the  soul  of  the  boy ;  the 
boy  trusts  ;  and  the  teacher  trusts,  directs,  and  with 
a  strong  hand  controls.  Yet,  while  there  are 
teachers  that  seem  intuitively  to  understand  boys 
at  this  age,  there  is  really  less  intuition  than  at  first 
appears.  These  teachers  are  students  of  child-life, 
hour  by  hour,  day  by  day, — yes,  year  by  year, 
they  are  studying  the  boys.  Ask  one  of  them  about 
some  boy  and  you  will  be  surprised  to  learn  that 
the  teacher  knows  him  in  his  environments,  knows 
him  in  his  inherited  tendencies,  knows  him  in  the 
peculiar  workings  of  his  mind. 

No  greater  blessing  can  come  to  a  boy  at  this 
age  when  he  does  not  understand  himself  than  to 
have  a  good,  strong  teacher  who  understands  him, 
in   part,   at   least,   and  has   faith   in  him  for  the 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

unknown  quantity,  and  is  willing,  day  by  day, 
patiently,  firmly  yet  kindly,  to  lead  him  till  he  is 
able  to  walk  alone. 

The  following  sketches  are  from  my  own  experi- 
ence, not  one  fictitious  character  among  them.  If 
they  fail  to  reveal  the  spirit  that  should  character- 
ize school  work,  they  are  not  worth  the  telling. 

J.  K.  Stableton. 
Charleston,  Illinois. 


CHAPTER    I 


JOE 


Some  time  ago  while  talking  with  a  man  of  great 
financial  ability,  a  man  who  for  a  number  of  years 
had  been  one  of  the  leaders  in  every  great  financial 
enterprise  in  his  city,  I  was  forcibly  impressed  by  a 
remark  of  his. 

He  said:  "I  have  no  education."  "I  gradu- 
uated  from  our  city  high  school,  but  my  grades 
were  poor  and  I  have  not  improved  since."  "  I 
don't  know  anything."  I  looked  at  him.  Keen 
financial  sense,  accurate  judgment,  wonderful 
powers  of  concentration,  and  indomitable  energy 
were  all  his.  I  thought  to  myself :  "  You  may  not 
Possess  a  literary  or  a  scientific  education,  but  you 
are  educated  in  no  mean  way ;  by  contact  with  peo- 
ple and  things  you  have  gained  an  education  that  is 

(11) 


12  DIARY   OF   A 

no  more  one-sided  than  that  possessed  by  many  who 
pose  as  scholars." 

The  man  who  has  learned  much  and  learned  it 
well,  in  the  laboratory  of  real  life,  has  an  educa- 
tion not  to  be  despised.  That  business  training 
gives  mental  strength  must  be  recognized  in  dealing 
with  those  young  persons  who  have  been  out  of 
school  a  year  or  two,  regularly  employed  in  busi- 
ness of  some  kind,  and  who  wish  to  enter  school 
again.  The  mental  strength  may  not  be  in  just  the 
same  line  that  school  develops ;  possibly  different 
brain  cells  are  brought  into  activity  or  the  activity 
may  be  of  a  very  different  kind  from  that  induced 
by  school  work. 

I  am  more  than  half  inclined  to  believe  that  we 
are  unfair  when  we  make  so  much  of  manual  train- 
ing and  laboratory  work  in  school  —  and  I  think  we 
do  not  overestimate  the  value  of  these  —  when  we 
magnify  that  training  and  minify  the  training  re- 
ceived in  the  shop,  the  office,  and  the  store,  the  lab- 
oratories of  business  life. 

If,  as  is  now  said,  school  is  not  a  training /or  life 
but  a  training  in  life,  we  as  teachers  must  more 
generally  recognize  the  fact  that  valuable  mental 
training  may  be  acquired  outside  of  the  school 
room,  and  when  young  people  wish  to  re-enter 
^chool,  use  common  sense   and  place  them  where 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  13 

they  rightly  belong.     Too  often  they  are  sacrificed 
to  a  false  idea  of  ' '  keeping  up  the  grade  of  the  high 
\  school."        )/ 

(  Joe  was  a  messenger  boy  and  general  "  roust- 
about ' '  at  the  town  depot ;  delivered  messages ; 
took  the  mail  bags  in  a  hand  cart  to  and  from 
the  depot ;  cleaned  and  filled  the  depot  lamps ; 
in  cold  weather  kept  the  fires  going ;  in  fact,  did 
all  the  odd  jobs  that  in  such  places  always  fall  to 
the  willing  worker. 

He  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  of 
such  size  that  the  cart  filled  high  with  mail  bags 
almost  hid  him  from  view.  His  soot-begrimed 
face  was  overshadowed  by  a  full  forehead  across 
which  were  two  or  three  deep  wrinkles  that  gave  him 
an  old  look.  His  brow  was  generally  crowned  with 
a  rimless  crown,  or  acrownlessrim,  owing  to  which 
had  been  left  him  in  his  last  encounter.  His  prom- 
inent nose  and  cheek  bones  were  more  than  off -set 
by  a  pair  of  black  eyes  that  lighted  up  his  whole 
countenance  or  snapped  fire  like  flint  if  the  occasion 
demanded  battle.  He  was  so  bright  and  quick 
that  the  men  about  the  depot  were  continually 
pinching  him,  and  punching  him  in  the  ribs,  or  in 
some  way  tormenting  him  just  to  see  him  fight  back. J 
I  always  speak  to  boys,  so  when  I  met  Joe  at  the 
depot  I  spoke  to  him,  and  we  were  soon  acquainted. 


14  DIARY   OF   A 

He  had  been  out  of  school  more  than  a  year  when  I 
first  met  him.  All  this  time  he  had  been  employed 
there  and  was  considered  by  the  agent  in  charge  the 
most  capable  and  trustworthy  boy  ever  in  his  serv- 
ice. Joe's  mother  was  a  widow  and  it  was  neces- 
sary at  this  time  for  him  to  help  make  his  own 
living. 

One  evening  I  was  standing  on  the  depot  platform 
when  Joe  came  up  to  me  and  said :  ' '  You  are  going 
to  have  exercises  at  the  high  school  to-morrow ;  the 
boys  have  been  telling  me  about  them."  There 
was  a  wistful  look  in  his  face  as  I  replied:  "  Yes, 
can't  you  come  up  and  hear  them?  We  would  be 
glad  to  have  you  visit  us."  "  I'd  like  to  hear 
them,  but  I'm  afraid  I  can't  leave  here,"  said  he. 

Then  his  eyes  beamed  forth  as  if  he  were  think- 
ing of  the  dearest  scheme  of  his  life,  and  looking 
me  full  in  the  face  he  said :  "  O,  but  I'd  like  to  go 
to  your  school." 

"  And  I'd  like  to  have  you  in  our  school,"  I 
replied. 

"  I  can't  go  now,  but  maybe  I  can  some  day," 
continued  he. 

We  talked  a  few  moments  longer,  then  I  returned 
home  thinking  what  a  pity  it  was  that  Joe  could 
not  be  in  school. 

This  was  in  November.     In  January  I  was  out 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  15 

of  town  a  few  days,  and  when  I  returned  home  the 
principal  of  the  high  school  told  me  that  Joe  had 
come  to  school  the  day  before,  and,  instead  of  go- 
ing to  the  seventh  grade  or  the  eighth  to  finish  his 
work  there,  had  asked  to  be  permitted  to  sit  in  the 
high  school  until  I  should  return,  saying  that  he 
believed  I  would  let  him  enter  the  high  school. 
His  class  that  he  had  dropped  out  of  in  the  seventh 
grade  was  now  the  first  year  class  in  the  high 
school  doing  ninth  grade  work. 

The  principal  was  somewhat  amused  at  the  boy 
but  permitted  him  to  wait  to  talk  with  me  about 
his  work.  Joe  made  known  his  wish  to  me.  I 
asked  him  if  he  thought  he  could  do  the  work. 
"  I'm  sure  I  can;  I've  been  trying  it,"  said  he. 
"  O,  but  I'll  work  if  you  will  let  me  stay  in  here.'* 

I  looked  at  his  intelligent  face.  I  thought  of  his 
business  record  at  the  depot,  and  of  his  ability  to 
work ;  that  he  was  strong  physically  and  quick 
mentally  so  that  he  would  not  be  injured  by  a  little 
extra  work.  I  told  him  that  he  might  try  it ;  that 
I,  too,  believed  he  could  do  the  work ;  that  it  all 
depended  on  himself  whether  or  not  he  remained  in 
the  high  school.  There  was  no  question  in  my  mind 
about  his  holding  his  place.     I  knew  he  could  do  it. 

A  few  weeks  after  he  had  entered  the  class,  one 
of  the  boys  made  the  remark  at  home  that  he  did 


L^ 


16  DIARY    OF    A 

not  think  it  fair  that  Joe  had  been  permitted  to  go 
into  the  same  class  he  was  in  when  he  left  school, 
after  being  out  more  than  a  year.  "  Does  he  do 
the  work?"  asked  the  boy's  father.  "Yes,  he 
does  it  as  well  as  any  one  in  the  class,"  replied  the 
boy.  "  Then  he  is  just  where  he  should  be,"  said 
the  father,  who  was  not  only  a  well  educated  man 
in  the  school  sense  of  the  term,  but  also  a  man  of 

K    &ie  business  ability. 

^  I  Joe  completed  the  high  school  course  and  grad- 
uated, one  of  the  best  scholars  in  his  class.  He  is 
to-day  a  prosperous  young  businessman.  Had  I 
placed  him  in  either  the  seventh  grade  or  the  eighth, 
I  fear  he  would  have  made  life  a  burden  to  his 
teacher,  and,  possibly,  yes,  I  would  better  say 
probably,  would  have  dropped  out  of  the  school 
again  within  a  few  months. 

There  are  many  boys  who  have  been  out  of  school 
a  year  or  two  who  would  gladly  avail  themselves  of 
our  high  school  privileges  were  it  not  for  the  fear  of 
being  placed  too  far  back  in  the  grades  to  make  up 
work  before  being  permitted  to  try  the  higher  studies. 
Some  of  these  boys  have  been  compelled  by  home 
duties  to  leave  school  to  work ;  others,  boylike, 
have  been  seized  with  a  passion  for  making  money, 
and,  after  two  or  three  years  of  steady  business, 
realize  their  need  of  more  thorough  school  training ; 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  17 

yet  only  a  few  of  these  enter  the  high  school.  Most 
of  them  that  enter  school  again  go  to  some  priTate 
school  or  academy,  where  they  are  given  a  chance 
to  try  what  they  can  do  without  basing  everything 
on  the  amount  of  school  work  they  have  already 
done ;  schools  where  their  matarity  of  mind  is  taken 
into  ccmsideration ;  schools  where  their  ability  to  do 
is  reo(^nized  whether  it  comes  from  training  in 
school,  work-shop,  office,  or  store. 

Oar  public  high  schools  owe  more  to  these  young 
people  than  they  ordinarily  give  them;  and  we 
superintendents  and  high  school  principals  ought  to 
consider  it  a  part  of  our  business  to  become 
acquainted  with  all  such  young  persons  in  our  midst 
and  to  bring  them  into  our  schools.  We  need  not 
fear  their  lowering  our  standard  of  scholarship. 

In  many  cases  the  parents  of  these  boys  are  not 
capable  of  counseling  with  them,  and  after  they 
are  out  of  school  a  year  or  two  they  lose  touch  with 
their  teachers,  so  that  when  they  begin  to  feel  tiiat 
they  axe  short  in  their  preparation,  they  have  no  one 
with  whom  to  advise,  and  so  drift  on. 

If,  however,  the  high  school  principal  or  the 
superintendent,  comes  into  contact  with  these  young 
people,  and  shows  an  interest  in  them,  he  can  easily 
advise  them  of  the  possibilities  the  high  school 
brings  within  their  reach. 
2 


18  DIARY   OF   A 

Thus  many  of  them  can  be  given  an  uplift  that 
will  place  them  in  a  world  of  new  activities.  But 
this  can  only  be  where  we  follow  a  sensible  plan  in 
adjusting  them  to  their  places  in  school,  Ability 
to  do,  and  not  "  What  grade  work  have  you  done,'* 
must  be  their  test  for  entrance  to  the  high  school. 


CHAPTER    II 


TIM 


I  remember  first  seeing  Tim,  a  boy  ten  years  of 
age,  just  ready  to  shed  his  knee  pants,  a  beautiful 
boy  to  look  at,  and  with  a  spring  in  his  movement 
that  so  attracted  my  attention  that  I  turned  around 
to  give  him  a  second  glance. 

He  was  in  the  seventh  grade,  and  from  almost 
the  first  day  manifested  an  unruly  disposition. 
His  idea  seemed  to  be  that  no  one  should  control 
him.  He  had  been  elsewhere  to  school,  and  was 
familiar  with  most  of  the  mean  little  ways  of  annoy- 
ing a  teacher  and  disturbing  the  school.  He  began 
by  telling  the  boys  that  his  teacher  did  not  dare  to 
whip  him ;  that  she  would  better  not  touch  him, 
and  continued  in  this  way  until  it  became  evident 
that  unless  he  showed  a  different  spirit  he  could 
not  long   be   tolerated   in   the    school.     When   he 

(19) 


20  DIARY   OF   A 

made  a  disturbance,  if  his  teacher  spoke  to  him,  he 
would  fly  into  a  violent  passion,  and  become  very 
disagreeable  to  deal  with. 

I  talked  with  his  teacher  about  him  and  finally 
decided  that  probably  the  best  thing  for  him  and  all 
concerned  would  be  to  give  him  a  strapping. 

His  mother  said,  "  I  can  do  nothing  with  him  at 
home,  if  you  can  make  anything  out  of  him,  do  it, 
and  use  your  own  judgment  as  to  the  means  you 
employ."  I  studied  his  case  until  I  felt  confident 
that  physical  pain  would  have  a  very  beneficial 
effect  on  him. 

A  few  days  after  I  came  to  this  conclusion,  the 
seventh  and  eighth  grades  were  passed  into  the 
high  school  room  to  spend  an  hour.  As  they  were 
returning  to  their  respective  rooms  Tim  created  dis- 
order in  the  ranks  by  interfering  with  those  in  front 
of  him.  I  at  once  stepped  up  to  him  and  hurried 
him  into  an  office  at  the  end  of  the  hall.  He 
fought,  tried  to  bite,  screamed,  threatened,  and 
dared  me  to  punish  him.  His  face  was  pale  with 
rage,  and  he  seemed  like  one  crazed  with  anger.  I 
held  him  until  he  had  spent  his  force  in  fighting, 
and  then  strapped  him.  That  brought  him  to  his 
senses  and  he  quieted  down.  We  had  no  more 
trouble  with  him  for  some  time. 

After  this  I  was  always  careful  to  be  as  pieasant 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  21 

with  him  as  though  we  had  had  no  trouble ;  and  he 
was  polite  and  gentlemanly  toward  me.  Still  his 
old  disposition  was  there,  restrained  only  by  fear  of 
another  strapping.  For  two  years  we  held  him  in 
this  way,  once  in  a  great  while  having  to  punish 
him. 

He  was  quick  to  learn,  in  fact,  talented,  but  all 
ordinary  means  failed  to  awaken  the  right  spirit  in 
him,  and  the  fear  of  bodily  pain  alone  held  him 
back  from  being  unbearable  in  school. 

Out  of  school,  he  was  rough,  but  very  industri- 
ous, always  busy  at  something.  This  industry  was 
a  good  quality,  yet  his  language  and  manners  were 
such  that  very  few  had  much  use  for  him.  My  only 
hope  for  him  was  that  by  holding  him  in  school,  the 
regular  work  of  the  school  and  the  discipline  would 
in  time  establish  in  him  better  habits  of  living  and 
thinking. 

Had  we  sent  him  away  from  school,  or  to  the 
state  reformatory,  no  one  would  have  found  fault; 
but  I  felt  then  as  I  feel  now,  that  the  public  schools 
are  not  only  for  those  of  regular  Jiabits,  but  also  to 
help  those  that  most  need  help. 

Tim  passed  from  the  eighth  to  the  ninth  grade, 
and  was  now  under  the  care  of  another  teacher,  one 
of  the  best  I  have  ever  known  for  most  scholars,  but 
too  s^Tnpathetic  and  tender  for  this  boy.     She  was 


22  DIARY    OF   A 

sure  when  the  term  opened  that  she  could  so  win 
him  that  he  would  cease  to  be  as  he  had  been  and 
become  a  pleasure.  I  was  not  so  confident  but 
said  nothing  to  lessen  her  interest  in  him.  Every- 
thing went  well  for  a  time,  but  only  for  a  time,  then 
he  began  to  try  her.  She  worked  hard  to  get  along 
with  him,  and  did  more  than  teachers  would  ordi- 
narily do  to  make  him  feel  her  interest  in  him,  but 
to  no  purpose. 

One  day,  a  few  minutes  before  the  noon  nour, 
she  said  she  would  like  me  to  be  near  at  noon  as 
Tim  had  remained  out  of  the  room  over  time  and, 
from  his  actions,  he  was  doing  so  just  to  annoy  her 
and  assert  himself ;  that  she  intended  to  detain  him 
a  few  minutes  after  school  to  finish  the  work  he 
was  escaping  by  remaining  out  over  time. 

At  noon  she  asked  me  to  please  come  to  her 
room  ;  then,  in  the  presence  of  the  boy,  she  explained 
the  situation. 

Tim  stood  at  the  blackboard  in  a  violent  passion, 
a  deathly  pallor  on  his  face,  and,  instead  of  writing 
the  work  neatly  on  the  board,  was  scraping  and 
marking  just  to  give  vent  to  his  anger.  I  spoke  to 
him  and  requested  him  to  place  the  work  on  the 
board  as  directed. 

He  snarled  and  said  that  he  would  not  do  it; 
that  he  was  going  home,  and  that  no   one  could 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  23 

make  him  do  it.  I  stepped  up  to  him,  caught  his 
hands  in  mine,  and  holding  him  in  front  of  me  with 
his  back  toward  me,  asked  the  janitor,  who  was 
near,  to  open  the  office  door  and  get  me  the  strap, 
Tim  kicked  at  me,  bit  at  me,  and  raved  in  words  it 
would  be  out  of  place  to  mention  here. 

I  held  him,  as  I  had  done  on  a  former  occasion, 
until  he  had  tired  himself  out  raving  and  fighting, 
then  I  applied  the  strap.  I  used  it  severely,  but 
not  brutally.  He  became  tired  of  it  and  said,  "  If 
you  will  quit,  I  will  do  any  thing  you  want."  I 
asked  him  if  he  could  and  would  go  to  his  room  and 
place  the  work  on  the  board  as  his  teacher  had  di- 
rected him.  He  replied  that  he  would  do  it ;  and 
he  did  it.  This  was  the  last  conflict  we  had  with 
him. 

The  next  year  he  was  under  the  care  of  still 
another  teacher.  I  feared  she  would  have  trouble 
with  him,  but  she  did  not.  His  former  teacher  had 
been  too  sympathetic  with  him,  had  appreciated  his 
good  points,  and  had  let  him  know  it.  He  could 
not  stand  this.  He  had  not  yet  reached  the  stage 
where  it  was  safe  to  let  him  know  that  his  good 
qualities  were  appreciated.  The  teacher  who  now 
had  charge  of  him  knew  every  good  characteristic, 
\\and  also  knew  that  he  was  too  weak  to  be  treated 
with  anything  but  rigid  justice  ;  that  no  expression 


24  DIARY   OF   A 

of  interest  or  sympathy  could  be  given;  that  he 
must  be  held  strictly  to  his  work.  She  had  no 
trouble  with  him,  or  nothing  of  a  serious  character. 

One  day,  while  at  the  black  board,  he  placed  a 
piece  of  chalk  on  the  floor  and  crushed  it  beneath 
his  feet.  The  teacher  saw  the  act  and  quietly  told 
him  to  take  an  eraser  and  a  piece  of  paper  and  clean 
up  the  dirt  he  had  made.  He  looked  a  moment,  but 
there  was  no  uncertainty  in  the  eye  of  the  teacher, 
so  he  obeyed.  Without  any  one  else's  knowing 
it,  she  detained  him  a  moment  at  noon  and  told  him 
never  to  let  such  a  thing  occur  again.  This  was 
the  only  trouble  that,  in  three  years,  came  between 
them.  He  became  one  of  the  most  trusty  boys  in 
the  high  school. 

Up  to  this  time  it  had  seemed  a  question  as  to 
how  he  might  finally  shape  his  course,  but  now  we 
had  great  hopes  of  him.  Patrons  of  the  school 
often  remarked  that  their  children  said  Tim  had 
become  one  of  the  best  boys  of  the  school.  All 
knew  what  he  had  been,  and  in  reply  I  could 
truthfully  say,  "  Yes,  he  is  one  of  the  best." 

At  the  end  of  this  year  it  was  necessary  for  him 
to  stop  out  a  year  to  work.  He  told  me  what  he 
was  compelled  to  do,  but  said  that  he  could  not  give 
up  the  idea  of  some  day  finishing  his  high  school 
course.     He  was  sorry  to  leave  his  class,  and  we 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  25 

were  sorry  to  have  him  leave.  There  was  no  dan- 
ger now  in  letting  him  know  he  was  appreciated ;  it 
did  him  good. 

He  went  to  his  work,  but  he  was  not  forgotten. 
During  the  year,  when  his  class  was  invited  to  my 
home  to  spend  an  evening,  Tim  was  remembered. 
If  anything  of  unusual  interest  was  going  on  at  tHe 
school  he  was  invited  over  for  the  afternoon.  Often 
he  would  come  of  his  own  accord  to  my  home  to 
spend  an  evening.  Thus  the  bond  of  sympathy  was 
strengthened  and  his  interest  in  the  school  was 
maintained. 

The  following  September  Tim  waa  in  his  place, 
but  with  another  class.  He  was  so  happy  to  get 
into  school  again  that  he  lost  no  time  in  lamenting 
the  fact  that  he  was  entering  a  class  that  was  once 
below  him. 

What  a  pleasure  he  was  this  year!  His  mind, 
always  bright  and  active,  seemed  more  alert  than 
ever. 

Now  and  then  he  could  have  a  day  or  two  of 
work  in  an  office,  and  he  was  always  excused  for 
it.  There  was  no  danger  of  his  losing  an\i;hing  ex- 
cept the  class  instruction,  and  the  work  gave  him 
the  means  to  keep  himself  neatly  clad.  He  never 
failed  to  prepare  the  lessons  he  missed,  and  was 
ready  to  recite  them  whenever  his  teachers  wished 


26  DIARY    OF   A 

to  hear  him.  Often  when  he  knew  he  could  have 
work,  he  would  prepare  his  school  lessons  in  ad- 
vance, and  at  the  close  of  school  in  the  evening 
would  say  that  he  would  like  to  be  excused  the  next 
day  as  he  had  work,  and  that  he  had  prepared  the 
advance  lessons  and  would  recite  them  before  going 
home  if  his  teachers  preferred. 

Thus  a  year  passed  without  a  break  on  Tim's 
part,  and  no  one  now  thought  of  his  doing  anything 
but  what  was  strictly  right.  His  standing  in  the 
high  school  was  as  good  as  the  best,  and  outside  of 
school  his  conduct  was  no  longer  what  it  had  been  ; 
he  was  a  gentleman.  At  home  his  mother  said  he 
was  like  a  different  boy,  and  his  people  were  very 
proud  of  him . 

Thus  he  continued  till  within  a  year  of  graduat- 
ting  when  the  summer  brought  new  eouditions. 
The  drouth  blighted  the  crops,  and  the  financial 
stringency  of  the  times  made  those  who  had  not 
other  resources  than  their  daily  income  from  labor, 
wonder  how  the  demands  of  the  coming  year  were 
to  be  met.  Tim's  parents  felt  the  problem  was  one 
they  needed  to  consider,  and  after  talking  and 
planning  as  best  they  could,  they  could  see  no 
other  way  than  for  Tim  to  drop  out  of  school  and 
work.  This  seemed  more  than  he  could  well  stand. 
He  could  not  help  it,  but  broke  down  and  cried. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  27 

His  mother  cried  too,  then  she  said  he  should  go  to 
school ;  they  would  manage  someway ;  that  come 
what  would  he  should  finish  his  high  school  course 
that  year. 

This  last  year  he  passed  in  a  most  satisfactory 
manner  and  graduated  in  June,  respected  by  his 
teachers,  fellow-classmates,  and  the  people  of  the 
community. 

I  knew  his  family  and  connections  well.  His 
mother  was  an  excellent  woman,  and  at  the  time  I 
first  became  acquainted  with  the  family  was  living 
with  her  second  husband,  Tim's  step-father.  I 
also  knew  his  mother's  father  and  brothers.  Her 
father  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  intellectual 
ability,  but  strongly  passionate,  and  until  late  in 
life  had  made  use  of  intoxicants.  His  sons,  Tim's 
uncles,  were  much  like  their  father.  One  of  them, 
when  in  a  passion,  was  a  desperate  man  ;  as  a  result 
of  his  wrong-doing  he  had  served  two  terms  in  the 
State  penitentiary.  Another  had  an  almost  equally 
quick  temper,  but  ordinarily  was  a  kindhearted 
man,  yet  a  man  whom  it  was  not  best  to  make 
angry.  That  same  tendency  to  fly  into  a  passion 
that  at  first  was  so  noticeable  in  Tim  was  char- 
acteristic of  his  uncles,  and  had  interfered  much 
with  their  best  interests  in  life. 

Since  Tim  graduated  he  has  been  an  industrious, 


28  DIARY    OF    A 

trustworthy  young  man,  respected  and  honored  by 
all. 

A  little  incident  that  occurred  two  years  after  he 
graduated  throws  some  light  on  his  own  views  of 
himself.  It  was  nearing  the  close  of  the  school 
year  and  the  high  school  alumni  were  preparing  for 
their  annual  meeting.  The  committee  on  program 
had  assigned  Tim  a  place  as  one  of  the  speakers. 
As  he  had  been  teaching,  the  committee  requested 
that  he  would  relate  some  of  his  experiences  with 
corporal  punishment.  He  was  witty,  and  the  com- 
mittee hoped  to  hear  something  funny ;  but  imme- 
diately on  receipt  of  the  notice  of  his  subject  Tim 
called  at  my  home  and  asked  me  if  I  thought  the 
committee  remembered  what  a  time  he  himself  had 
had  when  I  first  came  to  superintend  their  school. 
"  For,"  said  he,  "  you  had  to  punish  me  as  you  did 
to  bring  me  to  my  senses,  and  it  was  a  blessing  to 
me.  You  did  the  right  thing,  but  I  do  not  like 
even  to  think  how  I  was  at  that  time,  so  I  believe  I 
will  ask  for  another  subject  that  will  recall  nothing 
but  pleasant  memories." 

I  had  learned  that  in  rare  cases  physical  pain 
\  \  would  bring  a  boy  to  his  senses  when  too  angry  to 
stop  to  reason.  I  tried  this  on  Tim  and  found  it 
true  with  him.  After  I  made  this  discovery  I  con- 
sidered his  case  in  this  way.     He  had  probably  in- 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  29 

herited  a  tendency  to  fly  into  a  passion  and  had 
been  permitted  to  do  much  as  he  pleased.  His 
street  education  had  also  been  against  him.  He 
had  a  fine  intellect,  possessed  unusual  jx)wer  to 
concentrate  his  mind,  and  was  very  industrious. 
He  was  now  at  the  critical  period  in  life  when  he 
was  more  apt  to  give  way  to  anger  than  at  any 
other  time.  If  by  any  means  we  could  control  the 
objectionable  features  in  him  and  at  the  same  time 
develop  his  intellect  and  cultivate  his  better  nature, 
his  better  self  would  gain  the  ascendency,  he  would 
learn  to  govern  his  temper,  and  make  a  valuable 
citizen.  But,  if  left  as  he  was,  he  would  be  ruled 
by  the  play  of  passion  and  possibly  become  a  worth- 
less member  of  society.  I  asked  myself  the  question 
whether  it  were  not  better  for  me  once  in  a  while 
to  give  him  a  severe  strapping  and  thus  make  it 
possible  for  him  to  be  under  the  educating  influence 
of  the  school,  rather  than  to  send  him  out  into  the 
street,  or  perhaps  to  the  State  reformatory. 

I  answered  it  thus :  there  might  be,  and  doubt- 
less was,  something  other  than  corporal  punishment 
that  would  bring  about  the  desired  result,  but  I  had 
not  been  able  to  find  it,  and  it  was  my  duty  to  ad- 
minister that  which  I  knew  would  be  helpful  to  the 
patient.  This  is  the  spirit  in  which  I  resorted  to 
corporal  punishment. 


30  DIARY   OF  A 

From  this  short  sketch  of  Tim  and  our  work 
with  him  you  cannot  easily  see  how  much  thought 
was  given  to  his  ease.  I  studied  him  from  every 
possible  standpoint.  I  have  given  you  only  a 
faint  conception  of  the  facts  as  they  actually  were. 


CHAPTER     ni 


CLARK 


In  the  year  1885  I  was  elected  principal  of  a  de- 
nominational school  in  one  of  the  Western  States. 
In  this  position  the  management  of  the  boys  fell 
largely  to  me. 

j  Among  the  boys  that  entered  the  fall  term  of  188-, 
was  Clark,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  short,  heavy- 
set,  with  a  round  face,  thick  lips,  a  big  mouth 
easily  set  into  a  grin,  large,  dark  brown  eyes,  a 
heavy  suit  of  jet  black  hair,  and  at  first  a  rather 
pert  manner  in  his  general  make-up.  While  his 
features  were  none  too  regular,  a  kind  word  or  some 
little  attention  brought  a  bright  light  into  his  eyes 
and  his  whole  face  beamed  in  a  happy  smile.  ) 

Clark  was  in  the  lower  classes,  so  that  it  was  some 
time  before  I  became  much  acquainted  with  him. 
On  Halloween  night  a  number  of  the  boys  engaged 

(31) 


32  DIARY    OF    A 

in  some  sport  which  it  became  necessary  for  me  to 
consider  the  following  day ;  and  in  straightening  up 
the  affair,  I  had  private  talks  with  a  number  of 
them.  Clark  was  a  visitor  at  my  office.  He  came 
to  see  me  just  after  noon  and  was  much  excited  and 
very  uneasy.  I  soon  found  he  had  done  noth- 
ing to  which  1  could  object.  He  cried  as  if  his 
heart  would  break,  and  said  that  if  his  uncle  who 
had  sent  him  there  should  hear  of  his  having  been 
up  before  me  for  disorderly  conduct  he  would  be 
taken  home.  That  evening,  after  I  was  through 
with  my  work,  I  called  at  the  house  where  Clark 
was  boarding  and  invited  him  to  take  a  walk  with 
me. 

As  we  walked  along  he  told  me  the  story  of  his 
life.  This  was  what  I  desired  to  know.  His 
father  and  mother  had  died  within  a  few  months  of 
each  other,  leaving  three  small  boys.  Clark,  then 
five  years  of  age,  was  the  oldest.  There  was  but 
little  property,  so  the  boys  were  left  to  the  care  of 
relations.  The  youngest  was  taken  by  a  grand- 
mother to  another  State ;  the  two  older  ones  fell  to 
an  uncle,  who  gave  them  a  home,  or  rather  a  place 
to  stay,  but  his  manner  toward  them  was  such  that 
the  younger  had  gone,  they  knew  not  where. 
Clark  feared  his  uncle  very  much,  and  said  that  if 
he  did  wrong  his  uncle  punished  him  severely ;  if 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  33 

he  did  right  there  was  never  an  encouraging  word. 
This  and  much  more  he  told  me  of  himself,  his 
home,  and  his  people.  I  have  become  acquainted 
with  his  people  since  then,  and  know  he  told  me 
the  truth. 

While  talking  with  him  I  was  careful  as  to  what 
I  said.  I  advised  him  to  look  at  the  other  side. 
Boys  often  get  such  notions  into  their  heads  when 
the  facts  are  exactly  opposite ;  then,  too,  a  poor 
home  was  better  for  him  than  no  home  at  all,  and 
his  uncle  had  manifested  some  interest  in  him  or  he 
would  not  have  given  him  the  opportunity  to  attend 
school. 

He  told  me  further  that  he  and  the  principal  of 
the  local  school  could  Hot  get  along  together  ;  and 
as  his  uncle  wished  to  be  away  from  home  for  some 
months  he  had  sent  him  to  us  to  be  cared  for. 
Thus  we  talked  together  for  an  hour,  of  his  home, 
his  people,  his  conduct  at  the  home  school,  of  what 
was  expected  of  him  with  us,  of  the  friends  he 
would  have  in  the  teachers ;  and  when  we  parted,  I 
''knew  I  could  help  the  boy  to  a  better  life,  and  his 
happy  manner  told  me  he  felt  that  I  was  his  friend. 

He  was  with  us  three  years  ;  he  was  not  always 
perfect  in  his  conduct,  but  he  was  always  true. 
He  was  a  jolly-hearted,  high-spirited  boy  and  some- 
times made  little  ' '  breaks ;  ' '  but  his  intentions 
3 


34  DIARY    OF    A 

were  always  good.  He  trusted  me  implicitly  and 
made  me  his  confidant  in  all  things.  I  trusted  him 
also,  and  the  bond  of  friendship  between  us  became 
very  strong. 

Once  the  woman  with  whom  he  boarded  called  to 
tell  me  she  could  not  keep  him  longer  as  he  was  too 
disorderly,  too  loud,  and  she  thought  he  ought  to 
be  sent  home.  I  listened  patiently  to  what  she 
said  and  promised  to  talk  with  him. 

I  knew  he  was  not  intentionally  disorderly,  but 
so  full  of  life  it  was  hard  for  him  to  keep  himself 
within  bounds.  He  was  in  good  health,  very 
strong  physically,  and  of  an  impulsive,  hilarious 
make-up,  and  just  at  the  age  when  he  was  least 
able  to  control  himself,  and  I  did  not  wonder  that 
his  noise  was  sometimes  more  than  the  woman  could 
silently  endure. 

I  told  him  of  the  complaint,  at  the  same  time 
explaining  what  I  thought  of  his  conduct,  and  re- 
quested that  in  the  future  he  take  care  to  give  vent 
to  his  effervescing  spirit  out  of  doors,  and  not  allow 
his  fun  to  disturb  others  in  the  same  house.  There 
were  no  more  complaints. 

When  I  became  acquainted  with  Clark's  uncle,  I 
saw  the  secret  of  his  trouble  with  the  boy.  The 
uncle  intended  to  do  right  by  him,  but  was  a  man 
born  with  a  narrow,  selfish  soul,  that  could  not  well 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  35 

take  into  his  affections  anyone  beyond  his  own 
family ;  and  while  he  gave  Clark  a  place  to  stay  and 
looked  after  him  quite  closely,  his  heart  was  sealed 
against  the  boy,  and  the  boy  was  starving  for  love 
and  sympathy.  Clark  was  impulsive  and  warm- 
hearted, an  affectionate  boy  that  could  scarcely 
live  without  an  intimate  friend.  The  uncle  failed 
because  he  withheld  the  one  thing  the  boy  needed. 

At  the  end  of  three  years  Clark  dropped  out  of 
school  and  went  to  one  of  our  large  cities  to  earn 
his  living.  The  little  money  left  him  had  been  used 
in  sending  him  to  school  and  now  he  must  try  life 
for  himself.  He  had  secured  a  position  through  a 
friend,  but  knew  no  one  in  the  city.  I  felt  anxious 
about  him,  and  during  the  first  six  months  I  wrote 
him  regularly  once  a  week.  I  knew  he  needed  a 
friend,  and  in  return  he  told  me  all  his  little  "  ups 
and  downs  "  that  mean  so  much  to  a  lonely  boy. 
Then  as  he  had  become  somewhat  acquainted,  I 
wrote  less  often ;  but  to-day,  after  ten  years  have 
passed,  the  letters  still  come  and  go.  He  is  a  pros- 
perous young  business  man  in  that  city  and  the 
bond  of  friendship  between  us  is  as  strong  as  ever. 

Do  not  think  I  take  the  credit  of  Clark's  doing 
well  to  myself ;  far  from  it.  There  was  good  in  the 
boy.  I  did  my  best  for  him  at  a  time  when  he 
needed  a  friend.     Sympathy,  firmness,  and  honest 


36  DIARY    OF    A 

dealing  will  do  much  to  help  a  warm-hearted,  im- . 
pulsive  boy,  who  can  so  easily  go  astray,  across  the 
uncertain  age  to  good,  strong  manhood. 

It  pays  to  study  a  boy,  to  know  him  as  he  does 
not  know  himself.  I  admit  it  takes  time ;  but  he 
whose  soul  is  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  the  Great 
Teacher  will  find  time  for  the  work. 


CHAPTER     IV 


JOHN 


In  September  188-,  John  entered  our  school, 
a  Western  denominational  school.  He  was  fifteen 
years  of  age,  of  medium  height,  a  slender  but  well 
formed  body,  rosy  cheeks,  a  peculiar  dark,  almost 
black  eye,  and  jet  black  hair  always  nicely  kept. 
At  first  sight  he  was  called  a  fine-looking  boy,  in 
fact,  rather  handsome ;  but  to  me  there  was  some- 
thing strange  in  his  walk  that  seemed  to  indicate  a 
weak  trait  in  his  character.  As  he  walked  he  car- 
ried his  head  slightly  forward ;  this  with  a  certain 
vibration  of  the  body  gave  me  the  impression  of  the 
sinuous  movement  of  a  snake. 

He  seemed  to  enjoy  school  and  did  good  work ; 
was  bright  and  quick  at  learning,  gentlemanly  and 
attentive :  his  conduct  was  all  that  could  be 
desired. 

(37) 


38  DIARY   OF   A 

Soon,  however,  I  heard  some  of  the  boys  remark 
that  John  was  the  biggest  liar  in  the  school ;  but  it 
was  a  number  of  weeks  before  anything  came  to  me 
by  which  I  could  judge  for  myself. 

One  morning  about  the  eighth  week  of  the  term, 
he  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance  at  his  classes  and 
sent  me  word  by  one  of  the  students  that  he  had 
mumps.  I  did  not  think  he  was  sick  and  sent  him 
word  to  be  at  my  office  at  the  close  of  school  in  the 
afternoon. 

It  happened  that  I  was  called  away  from  my 
office  just  before  school  closed  that  afternoon  and 
when  I  returned,  the  president  informed  me  that 
John  had  been  in  to  see  me  and  that  he  was  badly 
stiffened  up  with  mumps. 

I  asked  if  he  examined  John  to  see  if  he  really 
had  mumps. 

He  replied  that  he  had  made  no  examination  but 
took  it  for  granted  as  the  boy  was  well  wrapped  up 
about  the  neck  and  face. 

I  was  still  of  the  opinion  that  he  was  playing  off 
so  sent  him  word  to  call  at  my  office  before  school 
the  next  morning.  He  came,  stiff-necked  and  a 
big  scarf  coiled  round  and  round  his  neck  and 
face.  I  unwrapped  him,  straightened  up  his  head, 
told  him  he  was  cured  and  that  he  could  remain  for 
the  morning  work. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  39 

He  was  completely  taken  by  surprise,  not  expect- 
ing anything  of  the  kind.  I  asked  him  why  he  had 
done  as  he  had  ;  what  his  object  was.  He  replied 
that  he  wanted  to  be  out  of  school  a  few  days  and 
took  that  plan.  He  looked  me  straight  in  the  eye, 
his  eyes  slightly  squinting  and  said,  "  I  lied  about 
it  and  don't  know  why." 

I  talked  with  him,  not  a  long  lecture,  but  a  few 
words  to  try  to  find  something  on  which  to  work,  to 
make  an  impression  ;  but  found  nothing. 

He  never  disagreed  with  anjrthing  that  was  said 
and  was  always  sure  that  he  would  not  do  so  again, 
but  the  very  next  occasion  he  was  as  untruthful  as 
ever.  Still  he  was  kind-heailed,  obliging,  and 
possessed  many  good  qualities. 

At  Christmas  we  were  tempted  to  send  him  home 
to  stay  ;  his  class  work  was  good  but  his  word  could 
not  be  depended  on  and  we  had  about  given  up 
hope  of  correcting  him  in  this  respect;  finally, 
however,  we  decided  to  try  him  till  the  close  of 
the  year.  He  came  back  and  remained  with  us  to 
the  close  of  the  year  in  June. 

As  I  knew  him  better  and  studied  him  more 
closely,  I  found  he  never  hesitated  to  tell  an  un- 
truth even  when  discovery  was  certain.  There  was 
something  really  pitiful  about  him  in  his  untruthful- 
ness, a  helplessness  that  was   hard   to  understand. 


40  DAIRY    OF    A 

When  talking  with  the  boys  he  was  untruthful  with- 
out knowing  it,  but  sometimes  his  words  showed 
considerable  planning. 

In  the  afternoon  of  Decoration  day  of  that  year, 
I  was  just  leaving  the  cemetery  to  go  to  a  friend's 
when  one  of  the  boys  came  to  me  to  know  if  I  had 
seen  John,  saying  that  John  had  received  a  letter 
to  come  home  at  once  as  his  aunt  Carrie  was  dead. 
I  asked  the  boy  if  he  had  seen  the  letter.  He  said 
that  he  had  or  he  would  not  believe  it. 

When  I  returned  to  the  college,  John  met  me  at 
some  distance  from  the  building,,  the  corners  of  his 
mouth  drawn  down,  his  eyes  full  of  tears,  and  told 
me  that  his  aunt  Carrie  was  dead  and  handed  me 
the  letter.  I  invited  him  into  my  office,  then  read 
the  letter.     It  was  as  follows :  — 

"  Dear  John,  your  aunt  Carrie  died  in  Washing- 
ton last  week ;  will  be  buried  here  Thursday.  Tell 
Prof.  Stableton  to  send  you  home  on  the  first  train. 
"  Your  Uncle  Charley." 

After  reading  the  letter  I  looked  at  John  and  told 
him  that  he  had  written  the  letter.  It  was  not  his 
handwriting,  but  I  felt  without  question  that  it  was 
his  own  work.  He  rose  to  his  feet,  so  indignant 
that  he  could  scarcely  control  himself,  and  asked 
me  if  I  thought  he  would  be  so  little  as  to  write  that 
letter. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  41 

I  told  him  that  I  thought  he  wrote  it,  and  in  the 
morning  would  send  a  telegram  to  his  uncle  and 
prove  that  I  was  right.  He  said,  "  All  right.  Pro- 
fessor, do  it,  and  you  will  find  I  am  telling  you  the 
truth  this  time." 

I  requested  him  to  call  at  my  office  early  the  next 
morning   to  go  with  me  to  send  the  telegram. 

The  president  said  he  thought  I  ought  to  send  the 
boy  home  at  once. 

I  said  "Never,"  that  if  his  people  would  put 
such  a  boy  into  my  hands  and  then  write  him 
instead  of  writing  me,  he  could  not  go  home,  no 
difference  who  was  dead  ;  that  I  knew  they  would 
write  me,  and  that  it  must  be  the  boy's  own  work. 

The  next  morning  John  was  on  hand.  I  asked 
him  to  bring  the  horse  and  buggy  from  the  barn 
and  call  me  at  the  office  window.  In  a  few  moments 
he  drove  up  and  we  started  for  town.  As  we  were 
driving  along  I  inquired  of  him  which  one  of  the 
men  in  the  post  office  had  given  him  the  letter. 

He  told  me,  adding,  "Professor,  you  will  find 
that  I  am  telling  the  truth  this  time." 

I  almost  wavered  in  my  opinion  and  said  that  we 
would  go  to  the  post  office  first.  I  left  him  in  the 
buggy,  and  went  into  the  post  office.  No  letter 
had  been  given  him.     I   returned  to   the   buggy. 


42  DIARY    OF    A 

and  as  we  started  off  I  said,  "  John,  where  were 
you  when  you  Wrote  that  letter?  " 

He  replied,  "  I  was  in  my  room." 

"  What  made  you  do  it?  "  I  inquired. 

He  answered,  "  The  Devil." 

Then  I  said,  "  I  think  he  did,"  and  we  drove 
baelv  to  school. 

He  seemed  greatly  relieved  and  went  right  to 
work.  I  did  not  punish  him,  —  said  but  few  more 
words  than  I  have  given  above.  I  had  done  all 
that  I  could  to  help  him,  but  to  no  avail,  and  knew 
that  no  words  of  mine  could  make  an  impression  on 
him  at  that  time. 

As  he  had  told  a  number  of  the  students  they 
didn't  cease  until  the  end  of  the  year  to  inquire  of 
him  about  the  funeral.  When  the  year  closed,  he 
left  us  to  return  no  more. 

The  next  I  heard  of  him  he  was  in  the  state 
reform  school ;  at  the  present  time  he  is  serving  a 
term  in  the  state  penitentiary. 

These  facts  concerning  his  people  I  gathered  ;  his 
mother  was  a  cultured.  Christian  woman  and  her 
people  were  of  like  character ;  his  father,  a  man  of 
moral  worth,  and  of  high  standing  in  his  commu- 
nity, died  when  John  was  a  small  child.  After  his 
father's  death  John  fell  to  the  care  of  his  mother 
and  an  uncle  who  give  him    his  way  in  everything. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  43 

Even  before  his  father's  death  he  was  a  petted 
child  whose  every  whim  was  humored  as  he  was 
thought  very  bright.  His  father  left  him  well 
provided  for  financially. 

While  I  do  not  think  that  I  did  him  any  good,  I 
did  hold  him  in  check  for  one  year,  and  outwitted 
him  in  almost  every  instance.  This  was  all  I  was 
capable  of  doing  and  it  required  no  little  tact.  I 
admit  failure  in  his  case.  I  have  studied  him  very 
closely  and  compared  him  with  many  others  since 
then  and  have  one  or  two  possible  solutions  that  I 
might  offer  but  will  not.  I  have  given  the  facts  as 
I  observed  them. 


CHAPTER    V 


TAD 


1/^ 


I  have  always  taught  in  co-educational  schools 
and  know  how  great  care  must  be  exercised  on  the 
part  of  the  teacher,  and  how  necessary  a  perfect 
confidence  between  scholars  and  teacher  is,  in  order 
that  there  may  be  nothing  but  what  is  proper  in  the 
daily  mingling  of  the  sexes  at  the  age  when  the 
sexual  passions  are  developing. 

That  some  boys  and  girls  "fall  in  love,"  so  to 
speak,  is  just  as  natural  as  that  children  exposed 
to  the  measles  take  the  disease.  The  problem  that 
concerns  the  teacher  is  how  to  nurse  them  through 
the  sickness. 

Whenever  I  see  boys  or  girls  physically  developed 

beyond  their  years,  yet  mentally  backward,  I  feel 

that   they   must   be   carefully  guarded  for  a   few 

years  until  their  minds  catch  up  with  their  bodies. 

(44) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  45 

Sometimes  it  happens,  even  where  the  mind  develops 
equally  with  the  body,  that  the  young  people  have 
received  a  physical  inheritance  which  makes  them 
extremely  susceptible  to  the  influence  of  the  opposite 
sex.  With  these  two  classes  teachers  need  to  keep 
in  touch.  They  are  not  evil  in  that  they  are  so 
easily  affected  by  the  opposite  sex,  but  may  easily 
be  led  into  wrong  and  must  be  protected. 

If  the  teacher  holds  the  full  confidence  of  the 
boys  and  fully  comprehends  the  situation,  they  will 
pass  through  the  experience  in  safety ;  the  same  is 
true  of  the  girls.  I  have  never  in  all  my  teaching, 
found  a  case  of  "  falling  in  love  "  that  any  ordinary 
so-called  school  discipline  could  cure. 

Tad  was  almost  seventeen  years  of  age  when  he 
entered  our  school,  a  denominational  academy.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  Methodist  minister.  His  sister, 
two  years  younger,  entered  school  at  the  same  time. 
Tad  had  always  been  accustomed  to  the  society  of 
young  people  so  it  was  no  new  thing  for  him  to 
meet  young  girls  and  be  in  their  company. 

He  was  always  ready  with  his  work  and  was 
pleasant  though  quiet  in  his  manner.  He  had  been 
in  school  only  a  few  weeks  when  I  noticed  that  a 
certain  young  girl  seemed  the  center  of  attraction 
to  him  ;  but  I  thought  it  would  be  a  thing  of  short 
duration  and  probably  not  take  his  mind  from  his 


46  DIARY    OF   A 

work.  I  was  mistaken ;  to  use  Samantha  Allen's 
expression :  ' '  Love  had  come  to  him  and  it  was 
going  hard  with  him,"  so  hard  with  him  that  he 
was  falling  short  in  his  work.  I  knew  him  too 
well  to  say  much  to  him,  but  waited.  I  felt  sure  a 
change  would  come  soon. 

In  the  meantime  his  sister  wrote  home  that  Tad 
was  so  interested  in  one  of  the  girls  that  he  could 
not  study.  The  father  wrote  Tad  a  severe  letter 
condemning  him  for  letting  the  girl  take  his  atten- 
tion. This  enraged  Tad.  He  wrote  his  father  a 
sharp  reply,  then  called  at  my  office  and  told  me  all 
that  had  occurred.  He  was  deeply  in  earnest ; 
said  that  his  father  had  no  right  to  send  him  such 
a  letter,  that  he  loved  the  girl  and  intended  to  marry 
her  some  day. 

Now  was  my  time.  I  asked  him  if  he  wanted  to 
marry  her  right  away. 

He  said  :   "  No  ;  but  some  day." 

"  Some  day  you  will  be  of  age,  then  no  one  can 
hinder  you  from  marrying  her,"  said  I,  and  added  : 
"  For  the  past  month  you  have  been  losing  ground 
on  account  of  this  affair ;  it  is  time  you  quit  worry- 
ing and  go  to  work  ;  you  must  fit  yourseK  to  take 
care  of  her  when  you  do  marry  her."  I  told  him 
to  love  her  all  he  wanted  to  but  to  be  a  man  and 
not  a  foolish  boy. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  47 

This  relieved  him.  He  soon  settled  down  to 
work  and  before  the  end  of  the  year  he  had  ceased 
to  care  for  her  and  she  no  longer  cared  for  him. 

All  this  time  we  guarded  them  carefully  that  they 
might  not  be  placed  in  any  uncertain  relations,  but 
did  nothing  that  they  could  interpret  as  an  attempt 
to  break  their  friendship. 

Had  I  bitterly  opposed  the  boy  or  openly  or 
privately  upbraided  him,  there  would  have  been  no 
confidence  between  us,  and  under  such  conditions 
I  should  not  wish  to  be  responsible  for  results. 
While  vigilance  is  necessary,  no  amount  of  vigi- 
lance will  make  up  for  a  want  of  confidence. 


CHAPTER     VI 


SAM 


Sam  was  thirteen  years  of  age  when  his  people 
moved  to  our  town  and  he  presented  himself  for 
admission  to  school.  He  was  very  large  for  his  age, 
with  a  well-formed  body,  good  shapely  head,  light 
brown  hair,  honest  gray  eyes,  and  a  face  set  in  a 
continual  grin.  The  grin  was  the  weakest  appear- 
ing thing  about  him.  As  I  became  acquainted  with 
him,  by  talking  with  him,  watching  him,  and  con- 
ferring with  his  teacher  about  him,  I  learned  that 
Sam  was  a  boy  with  almost  a  man's  body,  but  with 
a  child's  intellect. 

His  father   and   mother,  his  older   brother  and 

sister   were   excellent  people.     But   within  only  a 

few  weeks  after  coming  to  town  he  had  established  a 

reputation  as  the  loudest  boy  on  the  streets,  a  wild, 

(48) 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  49 

"  harum-scarem  "  tough,  whooping  and  yelling 
whenever  opportunity  presented  itself.  He  thus 
lost  the  respect  of  the  community  and  was  given  a 
standing  in  accord  with  his  conduct.  He  was  so 
boisterous  and  loud  at  times  on  the  streets  that  many 
believed  him  half  crazy. 

At  school  the  conditions  were  unfortunate  alike 
for  Sam  and  his  teacher.  She  had  formerly  been 
one  of  the  most  successful  teachers  in  the  school 
but  this  particular  year  she  was  in  such  poor  health 
that  she  was  almost  hysterical,  and  could  stand  but 
little  that  grated  on  her  nerves. 

Sam's  face  was  never  free  from  a  grin,  and  he 
was  restless  and  ill  at  ease.  He  never  seemed  to 
study,  yet  made  a  fairly  good  showing  in  his  work. 
He  was  not  wholly  to  blame,  as  he  needed  a  steady- 
nerved  teacher,  while  his  teacher  needed  rest.  But 
it  was  a  case  where  the  superintendent  was  power- 
less to  make  a  change  before  the  end  of  the  year. 
There  was  no  other  room  for  the  boy  and  the  teacher 
could  not  be  removed. 

Sometimes  the  teacher  cried  when  talking  of 
Sam,  he  worried  her  so ;  not  so  much  by  what  he 
did,  but  because  his  grinning  face  and  restlessness 
were  a  continual  irritation  to  her.  I  advised  her  to 
give  him  a  seat  in  the  part  of  the  room  where  he 
could  be  least  seen,  and  to  quit  worrying  about  him. 
4 


50  DIARY   OF   A 

But  under  the  conditions  his  year  in  school  was  far 
from  satisfactory  to  me  or  to  any  one  else. 

When  farm  work  began  in  the  spring  he  told  me 
he  had  secured  a  job  on  a  farm  and  was  going  to 
work.  I  did  not  discourage  him  in  it,  but  encour- 
aged him  to  be  ready  for  school  again  in  September. 
1  thought  it  best  for  him  to  work  off  some  of  his 
physical  energy,  believing  that  in  the  coming  year  he 
could  make  up  all  he  would  lose  under  existing  cir- 
cumstances ;  for  no  one  could  doubt  that  the  nerv- 
ous state  of  the  teacher  affected  him  unfavorably 
and  that  his  peculiar  condition  was  an  irritation  to 
her. 

In  September  he  returned,  larger,  stronger  than 
ever,  but  still  boyish.  He  made  me  think  of  a  big 
English  mastiff  pup,  overgrown  in  everything  ex- 
cept his  intellect,  and  always  ready  to  play. 

His  teacher  this  year  was  a  steady-nerved  woman, 
who  came  nearer  understanding  him.  He  did  well 
in  his  work  for  a  few  weeks  and  then  began  to  lag. 
The  teacher  labored  hard ,  but  no  effort  on  her  part 
could  keep  up  his  mental  activity.  She  became 
discouraged  with  him  and  finally  asked  what  she 
could  do  or  what  else  she  should  try.  She  said 
that  to  make  him  do  the  work  of  the  grade  would 
take  more  time  than  she  gave  to  a  dozen  ordinary 
pupils. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  51 

I  said:  "  Let  him  alone  if  he  does  not  bother 
you ;  let  him  do  what  he  can  when  given  only  the 
attention  due  him,  if  you  can  do  it  without  his  dis- 
turbing you  and  the  school."  I  said  further  that 
he  was  developing  so  fast  physically  that  he  seemed 
to  have  no  vital  force  to  furnish  mental  power,  and 
that  when  he  quit  growing  his  mental  powers  would 
probably  strengthen. 

As  he  did  not  bother  her  or  the  school,  she  took 
my  advice.  Of  course  he  did  only  part  of  the 
work  of  the  grade. 

Again,  when  the  neighboring  farmers  wanted 
help  for  the  spring  work  he  dropped  out.  I  favored 
it,  thinking  he  needed  something  that  would  give 
him  freedom  to  stretch  his  rapidly-growing  body. 
However,  I  never  let  him  think  that  I  thought  there 
was  any  question  about  his  returning  in  September. 
I  took  quite  an  interest  in  him  and  he  knew  it. 

That  sunmier,  whenever  we  met,  we  had  a  little 
*'  chat,"  and  incidentally  his  attention  was  directed 
to  school. 

When  September  came  he  began  almost  where  he 
had  begun  the  year  before,  thus  taking  two  years 
for  the  grade.  While  he  was  still  boyish  and 
"  grinny,"  there  was  a  marked  mental  development, 
and  he  did  fairly  good  work.     Sometimes  he  was 


52  DIARY    OF    A 

very  trying  and  had  to  be  plainly  reminded  of  his 
place  and  work. 

The  farming  fever  caught  him  again  a  few  weeks 
before  the  close  of  the  spring  term.  His  people 
were  in  very  moderate  circumstances  financially,  and 
as  I  knew  every  dollar  he  earned  went  to  the  home, 
I  thought  this  in  itself  an  education  of  great  value 
to  such  a  boy. 

Before  he  left  I  had  a  talk  with  him  about  his 
school  standing  and  explained  how  important  it  was 
that  he  should  not  miss  more  than  was  necessary ; 
that  the  next  year  he  would  be  in  the  second  year 
class  in  the  high  school,  and  he  would  not  like  to 
fall  behind  there.  After  we  had  considered  his 
school  work  and  the  necessity  of  his  having  a  place 
for  the  summer  to  earn  money,  I  told  him  to  come 
to  school  every  day  that  he  did  not  have  work ;  that 
I  would  rather  have  him  in  school  one-half  or  one- 
fourth  of  the  remaining  part  of  the  term  than  to 
have  him  miss  all  of  it. 

This  pleased  him.  He  went  away  feeling  that  he 
was  still  a  part  of  the  school.  This  was  just  what 
I  wished.  He  was  in  school  about  one-fourth  of 
the  remaining  time,  and  when  the  term  opened  the 
following  year  he  was  one  of  the  first  in  his  place. 

Sam  was  now  under  the  care  of  another  teacher. 
This  teacher  and  I  had  talked   over  his   case,  and 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  53 

decided  that  he  was  now  capable  of  doing  good, 
heavy  work,  and  that  he  must  do  it. 

Sam  knew  the  teacher  was  in  sympathy  with 
him,  yet  at  the  same  time  he  knew  that  she 
would  put  up  with  no  short  work  on  his  part. 
He  complained  sometimes  that  she  was  hard  on 
him,  but  when  asked  if  he  wished  to  be  allowed 
to  do  as  he  pleased,  and  then  take  two  years  for 
the  work  he  was  capable  of  doing  in  one,  he 
would  put  himself  to  the  work  with  renewed  in- 
terest. 

His  teacher  often  said  that  had  she  a  dozen 
like  Sam  she  could  not  teach.  Not  that  he  meant 
to  be  ugly  or  disagreeable,  but  he  was  still  so 
grinny  and  restless  that  it  drew  on  a  teacher's 
strength  just  to  hold  him  day  by  day  steadily  to 
work. 

This  year  closed,  and  it  was  by  far  Sam's  best 
year's  work.  In  mathematics,  particularly,  he 
was  showing  much  strength. 

When  Sam  had  been  in  the  high  school  two 
years  he  had  tamed  down  on  the  streets,  in  fact, 
was  much  changed,  and  the  people  remarked  that 
he  was  becoming  a  different  boy.  I  never  failed 
to  speak  a  good  word  for  him,  and  felt  safe  in 
predicting  that  he  would  come  out  right  if  given 
time.     I  talked  to  him  freelj'^  of  his  conduct  out- 


54  DIARY    OF    A 

side  of  school,  and  he  willingly  listened  to  what 
I  said,  though  it  was  often  only  a  short  time 
until  he  did  something  rude  or  rough ;  but  notwith- 
standing this,  he  was  gaining.  Sometimes  when  I 
spoke  strongly  in  his  favor  some  one  would  ask  me 
what  I  could  see  to  give  me  faith  in  him.  I  did 
not  always  try  to  explain,  but  said  to  give  him  time 
and  it  would  be  seen  that  there  was  cause  for  my 
faith. 

One  day  his  mother  said  to  me  that  they  had  been 
scolding  him  at  home  when  he  told  them  to  ask  me 
about  him,  —  that  he  knew  I  would  not  say  he  was 
all  bad.  It  pleased  me  to  know  that  he  realized 
that  I  appreciated  the  good  that  was  in  him,  for  his 
realization  of  this  was  a  strong  factor  to  help  him 
on  to  better  things. 

Two  years  more  and  he  would  leave  the  high 
school;  but  a  new  trouble  beset  him.  He  "  fell 
deeply  in  love  "  with  one  of  the  high  school  girls. 

We  guai'ded  them  carefully  at  school  and  gave 
no  opportunity  for  their  being  together  except  in 
the  presence  of  a  teacher.  They  began  to  meet 
regularly  on  the  way  to  school  and  to  walk  to  school 
together.  This  would  not  do,  so  I  talked  to  them 
privately,  explained  that  it  would  cause  unfavorable 
remarks  about  the  school,  and  asked  that  it  be  not 
indulged  in.     I  said  for  them  to  happen  once  in  a 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  55 

while  to  meet  just  as  others  did  would  be  proper, 
but  the  "  happenings  "  must  not  come  too  often;  it 
would  not  do  for  people  along  the  way  to  see  them 
regularly  walking  to  school  together.  After  this 
there  was  no  trouble.  Once  in  a  while  they  met 
and  came  together,  but  not  regularly  as  before. 
They  tried  to  do  as  I  wished,  although  it  required 
effort  for  them  not  to  "  happen  "  along  about  the 
same  time. 

It  surprised  me  to  see  the  amount  of  excellent 
work  which  they  did  when  I  knew  all  the  circum- 
stances. At  the  girl's  home  was  trouble ;  her 
parents  forbade  her  having  anything  to  do  with 
Sam.  They  talked  and  reasoned  with  her,  threat- 
ening to  send  her  away. 

She  was  not  to  be  moved  by  such  measures  ;  she 
and  Sam  met  of  evenings,  walked  the  streets,  and 
they  were  laying  themselves  open  to  unfavorable 
comments.  Sam  thought  her  parents  were  unkind 
and  mean  to  her,  and  so  did  she. 

One  morning  her  parents  talked  so  plainly  to  her 
that  when  she  started  to  school  she  left  a  note 
which  stated  that  she  would  not  be  treated  so  any 
longer  and  was  going  to  leave  home. 

The  father  found  the  note  soon  after  she  had 
gone  to  school  and  went  to  the  high  school  to  see  if 
she   were  there.    She  was  in  her  place.     Sam  was 


56  DIARY    OF    A 

there  too.  I  was  at  one  of  the  other  buildings 
when  the  father  called.  He  asked  to  see  the  prin- 
cipal, and  informed  her  of  the  note  and  their 
trouble  with  the  girl  at  home. 

When  the  principal  told  me  what  had  occurred  I 
determined  at  once  to  see  the  father  and  try  to 
influence  him  to  deal  with  the  young  people  in  a 
different  way.  He  was  only  driving  them  on,  and 
serious  results  might  follow. 

That  evening  I  called  to  see  the  father.  He  was 
glad  to  talk  with  ine,  and  said  that  he  and  his  wife 
were  at  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  next.  I  told 
him  I  had  been  watching  the  young  people  very 
closely  and  could  see  but  one  thing  for  him  to  do, 
that  was  to  quit  opposing  the  boy  and  the  girl  and 
treat  them  no  longer  as  little  children,  but  as  young 
people  worthy  of  some  consideration ;  to  look  the 
matter  squarely  in  the  face  and  make  the  best  of 
it ;  that  while  the  boy  was  not  the  one  he  would 
choose  as  a  companion  for  his  daughter,  he  would 
not  be  able  to  prevent  their  doing  as  they  pleased ; 
and  it  would  be  better  for  him  to  send  the  young 
man  word  to  come  to  their  home  the  following  even- 
ing and  to  talk  with  him.  I  advised  that  he  tell 
him  he  could  keep  company  with  his  daughter,  but 
that  he  must  come  to  her  home  when  he  wished  to 
see  her ;  that  he  could  go  with  her  to  church  and 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  57 

other  public  places ;  then  to  ask  them  both  to  be 
guarded  about  being  on  the  street  as  they  had  been, 
that  in  everything  their  conduct  might  be  above  re- 
proach ;  to  talk  plainly,  yet  kindly,  to  them.  If  he 
did  this,  I  believed  the  affair  would  die  out ;  but  if 
it  did  not,  Sam  was  full  of  energy,  and  there  was  a 
great  deal  more  good  in  him  than  he  was  given 
credit  for,  and  the  day  might  come  when  he  himself 
would  not  be  ashamed  to  own  Sam  as  his  son-in- 
law. 

The  father  said  I  might  be  right  and  he  would 
act  on  my  advice.  I  also  agreed  to  have  a  talk 
with  Sam  and  tell  him  what  had  passed  between 
the  girl's  father  and  myself,  and  to  advise  him  as 
might  seem  best. 

The  following  morning  I  had  a  long  conversation 
with  Sam  and  gave  him  in  detail  all  that  we  had 
said.  He  smiled  and  looked  a  little  ashamed.  At 
first  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  talk  with  him  about 
something  that  he  might  think  did  not  concern  me, 
but  I  believed  that  when  I  was  through  he  would 
not  feel  offended. 

He  understood  me  and  said  to  go  on,  as  anything 
I  had  to  say  would  be  right.  He  was  much  pleased 
at  what  I  had  done,  and  said  that  he  had  already 
been  invited  to  spend  the  evening  at  the  girl's 
home. 


58  DIARY   OF   A 

I  counseled  him  to  be  a  man  in  the  affair,  and  if 
he  cared  anything  for  the  girl,  and  I  knew  he  did, 
not  to  do  anything  that  would  reflect  on  her  or  him- 
self, either ;  that  the  way  they  had  been  doing  was 
hurting  both  of  them  ;  that  above  all  things  he  must 
lay  aside  all  ill-feeling  he  might  have  against  the 
girl's  parents.  I  explained  why  he  should  not 
wonder  that  they  were  not  much  in  his  favor ;  that 
they  knew  how  boisterous  he  had  been,  and  like 
many  others,  thought  him  worse  than  he  was,  and 
that  the  parents'  feelings  were  perfectly  natural ; 
that  he  must  prove  to  them  now  that  he  was  worthy 
their  respect. 

He  left  my  room  smiling,  feeling  that  I  had  cham- 
pioned his  cause  better  than  he  could  have  done  it 
himself. 

And  now,  after  several  years  have  passed,  no  one 
has  any  cause  to  regret  the  arrangements  that  were 
thus  made.  They  both  remained  in  school  two 
years  and  graduated.  Sam's  last  two  years'  work 
was  fine,  and  he  was  a  good  scholar  when  he  grad- 
uated. He  is  now  a  teacher.  The  sentiment  in  the 
town  has  largely  changed  in  his  favor.  He  is  rec- 
ognized as  an  upright,  honorable,  energetic  young 


'-^ 


CHAPTER    Vn 

MARK 

Mark  had  a  thin,  pale  face,  shoulders  cramped  in 
upon  a  hollow  chest,  and  a  body  and  limbs  whose 
clothing  never  suggested  the  outline  of  a  muscle ; 
restless  and  inattentive,  but  not  unusually  duD. 
He  was  childish,  sometimes  so  childish  that  it 
seemed  to  indicate  mental  weakness ;  yet  in  his 
studies  he  was  only  slightly  behind  those  of  his 
own  age  (thirteen)  and  was  doing  fairly  good  work. 
However,  it  required  no  little  effort  on  the  part  of 
his  teacher  to  keep  him  from  idling  away  his  time. 
He  would,  if  permitted,  spend  hours  playing  with 
nothing  more  than  a  string  and  a  bit  of  paper ;  not 
interrupting  those  about  him,  but  frittering  away 
the  hours  iu  play  so  simple  that  it  called  forth  no 
activity  of  the  mind. 

His  fourteenth  year  was  but  a  repetition  of  his 

(59) 


60  DIARY    or   A 

thirteenth,  except  that  his  childishness  was  more 
noticeable.  His  physical  condition  was  unchanged 
and  growth  seemed  almost  checked.  This  year  he 
finished  the  work  of  the  eighth  grade.  He  was  not 
the  poorest  in  the  class  neither  was  he  one  of  the 
best. 

During  his  fifteenth  year,  he  was  less  able  to  do 
mental  work  and  was  more  frail  physically. 

During  his  sixteenth  year,  he  was  very  sluggish 
mentally  and  physically,  and  as  much  a  child  as  at 
thirteen.  He  could  not  take  all  the  regular  studies 
of  his  grade,  so  his  work  was  lightened,  but  still  he 
could  not  do  it  well.  He  was  very  weak  during 
the  spring  term ;  and  so  sluggish  that  he  would 
sometimes  unconsciously  fall  asleep  even  while 
trjdng  to  listen  to  a  class  explanation. 

This  unfortunate  condition  was  not  the  result  of 
any  personal  habits,  as  he  was  carefully  guarded  in 
this  respect.  He  seemed  to  have  come  to  a  point 
where  it  was  a  question  whether  or  not  his  vitality 
could  carry  him  farther. 

His  father  now  decided  to  give  him  a  year  of 
freedom  from  school  or  restraint  of  any  kind,  in 
hope  that  he  might  gain  physical  and  mental 
strength.  Mark  spent  the  year  just  as  he  pleased, 
visiting,  hunting,  reading,  l3'ing  around  doing 
nothing,  with  no  aim,  no  ambition.     An  idle  listless 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  61 

year ;  probably  a  profitable  year  to  him  for  it 
seemed  he  could  do  nothing  but  rest. 

In  the  fall  of  his  eighteenth  year  he  again  entered 
school,  but,  while  somewhat  improved  in  health, 
was  not  capable  of  doing  a  full  year's  work.  The 
first  half  of  the  following  summer  he  did  nothing ; 
was  without  interest  in  anything. 

"Past  eighteen  years  of  age,"  said  his  father, 
' '  and  a  mere  boyish  boy ;  he  will  never  amount  to 
anything." 

The  father  was  not  now  so  patient  as  formerly 
with  Mark,  and  upbraided  him  for  his  worthless- 
ness.  One  day  at  this  time,  the  father  said  to  me : 
"  My  wife  and  I  have  lost  all  patience  with  Mark 
and  to-day  I  told  him  he  was  nothing  but  a  block- 
head, and  never  would  amount  to  anything.  We 
cannot  understand  why  he  is  so  worthless." 

I  counseled  him  to  be  careful  or  he  might  do  his 
boy  great  wrong ;  that  for  some  reason  the  physical 
and  mental  development  of  the  boy  seemed  arrested ; 
that  upbraiding  him  for  what  he  could  not  help 
might  so  discourage  him  as  to  ruin  him  forever ; 
that  what  he  most  needed  was  sympathy,  and  an 
expression  of  faith  in  him  to  help  him  to  keep  up  a 
cheerful  frame  of  mind  ;  and  that  these  should  come 
from  his  home  friends  ;  that  there  was  yet  time  for 
the  b03'  to  make  a  man. 


62  DIAKY    OF    A 

The  father  in  reply  could  only  express  a  hope 
that  I  understood  Mark  better  than  he  did  and  that 
my  faith  in  the  final  outcome  would  prove  to  be 
well-founded. 

Several  weeks  later,  just  a  few  days  before  the 
opening  of  the  annual  session  of  the  county  teachers' 
institute,  Mark  called  on  me  to  ask  me  what  I 
thought  of  his  attending  the  county  institute  and  in 
the  course  of  our  conversation  told  me  that  he  had 
decided  to  teach  a  country  school  that  fall.  I  was 
pleased  to  see  him  planning  to  do  something  and 
encouraged  him  to  attend.  He  was  present  every 
day,  wide-a-wake,  ready  to  catch  every  suggestion 
that  fell  from  the  lips  of  the  instructors,  and  very 
happy  in  it  all.  I  looked  at  him,  no  longer  a  boy. 
The  rounded  muscles,  the  full  chest,  such  as  had 
not  seemed  possible,  and  the  bright  eye ;  the  vigor- 
ous thoughts  of  early  manhood,  told  in  no  uncertain 
language  that  he  "  had  been  born  again,"  and  was 
a  new  person  mentally  and  physically.  "  When  I 
became  a  man  I  put  away  childish  things,"  was 
literally  verified  in  his  case. 

The  father  met  me  one  day  of  the  second  week 
of  the  institute  and  said  that  he  wished  to  thank  me 
for  so  awakening  his  son.  I  laid  no  claim  to  the 
"  awakening  "  power.  The  boy  was  changed  from 
no  effort  of  mine. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  63 

The  faith  that  I  had  had  in  Mark  was  not  born 
of  intuition  but  was  the  result  of  the  observation 
of  a  number  of  somewhat  similar  cases.  Mark's 
apparent  development  was  completely  arrested  for 
several  years  ;  and  then  in  a  few  weeks  the  wonder- 
ful change  was  accomplished.  Yesterday  a  boy, 
Ao-day  a  man. 

I  have  no  explanation  to  give.  Mark's  and  one 
other  case  that  I  will  relate,  have  suggested  a 
question :  could  their  labored  and  long-delayed  de- 
velopment be  due  to  inherited  constitutional  weak- 
ness ?  There  were  strong  indications  of  tuberculosis 
on  the  mother's  side  in  the  case  of  Mark.  Could 
it  be  that  an  inherited  weakness  made  it  hard  for 
the  body  to  gather  force  to  accomplish  the  great 
change  of  puberty,  and  so  caused  the  existing  con- 
ditions ? 

I  only  ask  the  question.  This  much  I  do  know : 
teachers  cannot  too  carefully  deal  with  such  young 
people.  The  disappointment  of  parents  too  often 
shuts  off  sympathy  at  home,  and  teachers,  looking 
upon  them  as  weaklings  physically  and  mentally, 
hope  only  for  them  to  drop  out  of  school.  Young 
teachers,  especially,  look  upon  such  cases  as  hope- 
less objects  on  whom  it  is  a  waste  to  spend  time. 
We  who  are  older  and  have  observed  and  studied 
these  things  have  seen  too  many  miracles  wrought 


64  DIARY   OF   A 

by  the  new  "  psycho-physiological  birth  "  to  treat 
in  a  slighting  manner  any  of  these  that  so  much 
need  attention. 

When  Mark  was  twenty-five  years  of  age,  he 
filled  a  responsible  business  position  and  was  quite 
a  literary  student,  devoting  a  few  hours  each  day 
to  a  chosen  line  of  study.  He  was  far  superior  to 
many  of  the  boys  who  in  their  teens  outstripped  him 
in  the  race.  As  his  father  expressed  it,  "  There  is 
no  young  man  in  our  community  the  superior  of  my 
son  ;  he  has  no  bad  habits ;  is  mentally  and  phy- 
sically sound  ;  and  is  a  clear-headed  business  man." 

The  causes  of  such  arrested  development  properly 
belong  to  the  work  of  specialists  in  other  lines  ;  but 
the  plain,  practical,  uncommon  common-sense  plan 
of  teaching  and  training  these  young  people  must 
be  sought  out  by  the  teacher. 

Into  this  problem  three  factors  must  enter  ;  first, 
we  must  not  lose  faith  in  the  possible  outcome  ; 
second,  we  must  win  and  hold  the  confidence  of 
these  boys ;  and,  third,  we  must  not  discourage 
them  nor  cause  them  to  lose  the  little  faith  they  may 
have  in  themselves. 


CHAPTER     VIII 


DICK 


Dick  came  from  one  of  the  best  homes  in  the 
community,  a  home  where  the  children  were  dearly 
loved  by  both  parents  ;  a  home  where  every  possible 
care  was  given  to  the  physical  and  mental  welfare 
of  the  children  ;  yet  it  was  a  home  where  there  was 
lung  trouble  on  the  father's  side,  and  in  which 
tuberculosis  finally  made  its  appearance. 

Dick  attended  school  regularly  from  six  years  of 
age  to  twelve.  Then,  on  the  advice  of  the  family 
physician,  he  was  permitted  to  do  as  he  pleased,  go 
to  school  or  stay  at  home.  He  was  not  sick,  but 
weak,  and  needed  to  be  in  the  open  air.  He  was 
too  deeply  interested  in  school  to  give  it  up  entirely, 
so  was  made  welcome  in  school  whenever  he  felt  like 
being  there,  even  though  he  were  present  but  half 
the  time. 

6  (65) 


C)()  DIARY    OF    A 

Dick  had  never  been  quick  at  learning,  and  hence 
was  not  so  well  advanced  as  most  boys  of  his  age. 
His  parents  were  sensible  in  this  regard,  and  did 
not  wish  him  ' '  pushed  ' '  along  for  the  sake  of  keep- 
ing with  neighbor  boys  of  his  own  age.  They  were 
in  close  touch  with  the  teachers,  and  talked  freely 
with  them,  and  thus  aided  much  in  dealing  with 
Dick.  Without  the  co-opieration  of  parents  such 
cases  become  very  annoying. 

From  twelve  years  of  age  to  eighteen  was  a  try- 
ing time  for  Dick.  A  part  of  this  time  he  was 
physically  unfit  for  the  school-room,  and  his  mind 
was  much  as  his  body ;  yet  he  was  never  willing 
to  drop  out  of  school  entirely.  The  family  phy- 
sician said  that  Dick  was  constitutionally  weak, 
and  might  or  might  not  grow  stronger. 

Dick  was  one  of  the  best  of  boys  in  his  inten- 
tions, always  trying  to  do  just  the  right  thing  ;  but 
he  was  restless,  and  could  not  study  without  mak- 
ing a  noise.  Often  when  he  became  too  restless, 
his  teacher  would  send  him  on  some  little  errand,  or 
give  him  work  at  the  blackboard  ;  anything  to  bring 
his  muscles  into  play,  and  thus  rest  him.  He  never 
suspected  that  the  errand,  the  work,  or  whatever  it 
might  be,  was  simply  a  means  of  quieting  him. 

If  he  went  out  to  run  or  play  at  violent  exercise 
of  any  kind,  he  was  so  wrought  up   for  the   next 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  67 

half-honr  after  he  came  in  that  he  could  do  nothing 
but  fidget  and  grin.  Some  days  he  would  be 
grinny,  almost  hysterical,  ready  to  laugh  at  any 
little  thing  that  happened,  and  scarcely  able  to  stop 
laughing  after  having  once  begun.  The  only  hope 
at  such  times  was  to  center  his  attention  on  some- 
thing of  interest,  and  thus  quiet  him  down. 

In  his  seventeenth  year  he  developed  more  rapidly 
in  mental  power,  but  along  with  this  came  a  pecuhar 
nervous  state.  He  would  sit  atone  end  of  his  seat, 
swaying  his  body  backwards  and  forwards  from  his 
hips  as  a  fulcrum,  rubbing  one  hand  on  one  knee, 
unconscious  of  everything  around  him,  all  the  while 
doing  good  mental  work.  If  not  permitted  to  sway 
his  body  thus,  he  accomplished  but  little.  Some 
such  movement  of  the  body  seemed  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  mental  activity. 

Do  not  misunderstand  me,  he  had  never  been 
encouraged,  or  even  permitted  to  study  in  this 
manner ;  but  now  he  could  do  no  mental  work 
unless  some  part  of  his  body  were  in  motion.  As 
his  manner  became  very  annoying  to  those  about 
him,  he  was  given  a  seat  in  the  rear  part  of  the 
room  where  he  could  be  seen  by  but  few  and  was 
permitted  to  study  even  though  somewhat  noisOy. 

During  the  first  half  of  his  eighteenth  year,  he  be- 
gan to  be  recognized  as  one  of  the  best  thinkers  of 


68  DIARY    OF    A 

his  class,  but  he  was  still  a  boy  with  the  instiucts 
of  a  boy  ;  but  the  year  brought  him  great  changes, 
and  by  the  end  of  the  year  he  was  fast  taking  on 
the  indications  of  early  manhood. 

As  this  change  came  about,  much  of  his  restless- 
ness disappeared  and  his  whole  manner  greatly 
improved.  The  young  children  that  were  com- 
panions for  him  the  first  half  of  the  year  were 
dropped  and  he  sought  those  nearer  his  own  age. 

Dick  graduated  from  the  high  school  when  past 
nineteen  years  of  age,  fairly  strong  physically,  a 
young  man  of  good  average  ability,  and  of  more 
than  ordinarily  good,  common  sense. 

From  twelve  years  of  age  to  eighteen  the  parents 
were  filled  with  greatest  concern  for  him,  and  the 
mother  would  often  say  when  speaking  of  him: 
"Poor  boy,  what  will  become  of  him."  The 
father  was  more  hopeful,  and  said  that  he  himself 
had  developed  very  slowly  and  so  he  would  not  lose 
faith  in  his  boy. 

There  were  at  least  two  years  in  the  life  of  Dick 
and  also  in  that  of  Mark,  when  many  teachers 
would  have  ' '  worked ' '  them  out  of  the  high  school 
and  felt  that  they  were  ridding  the  schools  of  weak 
ones  that  were  not  worth  the  time  given  them.  I 
say  would  have  "  worked  "  them  out. 

I  will  explain :  last  year,  in  talking  with  a  high 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  69 

school  principal  in  one  of  our  large  cities,  he  said 
that  they  had  a  great  many  enter  their  high  school 
who  were  not  very  strong  mentally,  and  that  they 
got  rid  of  them  by  putting  on  such  a  pressure  of 
work  that  the  weaker  ones  were  glad  to  leave  the 
school;  and  thus  the  teachers  were  saved  much 
trouble,  and  the  standard  of  the  graduates  was 
kept  very  high.  I  have  no  doubt  that  Mark  and 
Dick  would  have  been  "  worked  "  out  very  early  in 
their  high  school  courses  had  they  been  under  this 
principal. 

I  do  not  object  to  putting  a  fair  pressure  of  work 
on  high  school  students.  I  would  just  as  soon  hope 
to  learn  to  skate  by  sitting  on  the  ice  as  to  hope  to 
get  the  intellectual  power  that  comes  from  high 
school  training  by  sitting  in  the  high  school. 

The  man  who  is  hauling  coal  and  has  two  teams, 
one  of  heavy  draft  horses  that  can  draw  two  tons 
at  a  load,  the  other  of  ordinary  horses  that  can 
draw  but  one,  does  not  load  up  his  lighter  team 
with  two  tons  and  thereby  make  it  impossible  for  it 
to  do  anything  ;  but  to  the  heavy  team  he  gives  two 
tons  and  to  the  lighter  team  but  one  ton,  and  both 
work  equally  well.  While  it  is  true  that  it  will  take 
the  lighter  team  twice  as  long  to  haul  the  coal,  yet 
when  the  coal  is  hauled  it  is  just  as  well  hauled  as 
if  the  heavy  team  had  hauled  it. 


70  DIARY    OF    A 

So  the  wise  high  school  principal  will  not  strive 
to  ' '  work  out ' '  these  weaker  ones  by  giving  them 
the  work  that  only  the  stronger  ones  can  do ;  but 
will  try  to  know  the  ability  of  each  one  and  then  will 
give  such  work  as  each  can  do,  and  do  well,  all  the 
time  trying  to  interest  more  deeply  everyone  in  the 
work  of  the  school. 

The  boy  that  can  carry  but  a  part  of  the  work 
this  year  may  be  stronger  next  year ;  but,  even  if 
he  is  not,  in  the  fable  of  old  it  was  the  tortoise  and 
not  the  hare  that  won  the  race. 

We  superintendents  and  principals  are  not  ex- 
perts in  unfolding  the  futures  of  the  boys  at  the 
high  school  age.  We  must  work  carefully.  We 
would  better'  give  opportunities  to  ten  boys  that 
fail  to  develop,  rather  than  to  "work  out"  one 
boy  that  might  develop. 


CHAPTER     IX 


CHAP 


I  wish  to  give  sketches  of  three  boys  that  for 
some  reason  I  associate  together  in  my  mind  ;  three 
boys,  in  every  way  so  different  from  each  other, 
each  with  such  a  strongly  marked  individuality, 
that  they  were  interesting  studies  to  me. 

Chap  at  thirteen  years  of  age  was  a  perfect 
dynamite  bomb.  Muscle  and  brain  were  both  sur- 
charged with  energy.  He  did  nothing  by  halves  ; 
lessons  and  manual  labor  were  both  put  through 
with  a  vim  that  was  delightful  to  see.  No  one  in 
his  grade  ranked  above  him ;  no  boy  could  curry  a 
horse  and  hitch  him  to  a  buggy  more  quickly  than 
he ;  no  boy  could  swing  onto  a  broncho  and  skim 
over  the  prairie  more  gracefully  than  he.  The 
rough,  wild  life  of  the  cow-boy,  suited  him.  An 
old  sombrero,  a  blouse,  and  a  pair  of  overalls  held 

(71) 


72  DIARY   OF    A 

up  by  one  suspender,  an  old  wagon  with  a  broncho 
team  to  drive  at  break-neck  speed,  and  he  was 
happy. 

Yet  when  occasion  demanded,  Chap  could  be  a 
perfect  gentleman.  He  simply  bubbled  over  with 
life.  A  hip,  hip,  hurrah !  and  away  on  a  broncho ! 
This  high,  wild  life,  was  a  safety  valve  for  his  sur- 
plus energy. 

Thus  far  in  Chap's  school  work  he  and  his 
teachers  had  gotten  along  well.  Sometimes  like  a 
frisky  colt  he  needed  to  be  reined  in,  still  he  and  his 
teachers  were  alwaj's  on  good  terms  and  happy  in 
the  work.  But  now  as  he  passed  to  the  ninth 
grade,  new  conditions  met  him,  and  he  himself  was 
reaching  a  more  dangerous  point  where  fun  seemed 
worth  more  than  all  else. 

The  ninth  grade  teacher  this  year  was  inexperi- 
enced in  the  work,  but  having  had  two  or  three 
years  of  collie  training,  was  supposed  to  be  in  her 
educational  qualifications  the  best  prepared  of  the 
applicants  for  the  position.  When  I  found  that  it 
would  be  necessary  to  place  her  in  charge  of  the 
grade,  I  feared  the  results. 

She  was  of  a  gentle  unsuspecting  nature,  and  her 
voice  lacked  that  decision  so  essential  to  good  tlis- 
cipliuc  in  the  grammar  and  earl}-  high  school  grades. 

Conditions  were  thus  unfortunate  for  Chap.     He 


"WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  73 

was  ready  to  detect  any  weaknesses  on  the  part  of 
his  teacher  and  to  make  the  most  of  them.  All 
went  well  for  a  short  time,  when  the  trouble  began. 

Chap  was  a  leader,  and  so  sharp  and  cunning 
that  he  could  shoot  shot,  or  scatter  a  handful  of 
snapping  match  heads,  or  with  a  quivering  move- 
ment of  his  legs  shake  the  floor,  and  yet  escape  de- 
tection. He  was  proud  of  the  standing  he  was  fast 
gaining  among  the  pupils  for  bringing  disorder  into 
the  room.  Even  the  best  were  "falling  from 
grace  "  and  joining  his  standard.  ChUdren  are 
born  "  hero- worshipers."  He  showed  what  he 
thought  of  his  teacher  one  day  when  he  said,  "  Miss 
Short  is  a  fine  lady,  but  she's  too  good  to  teach 
school ;  why,  she  can't  even  boss  me." 

His  disorderly  conduct  at  school  had  a  bad  effect 
on  him  at  home,  and  while  he  had  never  been  easily 
controlled  at  home,  he  now  became  so  restless,  al- 
most defiant,  that  his  parents  were  much  concerned. 

A  word  as  to  the  home,  while  not  strictly  a  part 
of  this  story,  throws  side-lights  on  the  boy.  Chap's 
mother  was  an  excellent  Christian  woman  of  more 
than  ordinary  strength  of  character.  The  father 
was  a  man  of  good  intentions  and  very  active  in 
what  he  took  to  be  his  line  of  duty,  but  he  did  not 
cultivate  the  friendship  of  his  boys.  As  Chap  came 
to  the  critical  period  in  a  boy's  life  the  father  was 


74  DIAKY    OF   A 

fttf  from  him.  In  talking  with  the  fathef  one  day 
he  said  to  me!  "I  am  kept  so  buHy  with  my  busi- 
ness and  church  work,  that  1  do  not  have  time  to 
keep  up  acquaintance  with  my  family.  1  soaroely 
know  them." 

1  felt  that  what  he  said  was  unfortunately  too 
true,  and  I  wondered  what  would  be  the  outcome 
of  such  neglect.  1  do  not  question  his  intentions, 
but  1  seriously  question  his  wisdom. 

Now,  when  Chap  so  much  needed  to  feel  a  real 
fatherly  love  and  fricndshli),  there  was  no  strong 
cord  to  hold  him.  The  father  could  help  the 
teacher  but  little  In  managing  the  boy. 

After  a  few  weeks  a  change  was  made  In  the 
teacher  of  the  ninth  grade,  so  that  the  remainder  of 
the  year  was  nmch  unproved.  HtiU  the  year  as  a 
whole  was  not  one  to  Interest  Chap,  and  as  spring 
came  on  he  grew  restless,  the  school-room  was  too 
narrow  for  him ;  he  longed  for  the  freedom  of 
unrestrained  out-door  life. 

At  the  opening  of  school  the  following  8eptem- 
ber,  Chap  was  ready  for  whatever  was  to  come, 
work  or  fun,  no  difference  so  there  was  plenty  of  It. 
Luckily  for  him  he  was  now  under  a  teacher  that 
knew  him  and  felt  herself  equal  to  him  wliatever 
might  come  up,  a  teacher  who  appreciated  and 
adtnired  his  vigoraus  life. 


WKHTKRN    PCIIOOLMAHTER,  76 

Chap  re8[MH}tcd  her  from  the  first.  There  wm 
that  Botnuthing  in  her  very  presence  that  oom- 
tnandecl  his  rcsiwct.  To  refuse  her  request  never 
eutercil  his  mind.  During  the  entire  year  he  was 
never  reproved.  He  seemed  ha|)py,  and  often,  as  I 
looked  at  him,  he  made  me  think  of  a  prancing  colt 
at  the  end  of  a  rope  held  kindly  yet  firmly  in  the 
hand  of  his  master. 

The  teacher  that  knows  now  to  let  such  a  boy 
pranoe  just  enough  to  keep  him  in  good  spirits  yet 
holds  him  from  breaking  away,  is  a  power  for  good 
with  the  Iwys  of  this  grade.  Tiie  whole  future 
school  life  of  many  a  Inyy  depends  on  who  is  his 
teacher  at  this  time  in  his  life. 

Chap  hod  once  l)een  one  of  the  best  dcclaimers 
in  his  class,  but  now  be  was  too  self-conscious  to 
do  well,  HO  he  was  excused  from  declaiming.  He 
had  been  a  good  penman  from  the  time  he  began  to 
write;  now,  while  his  writing  was  still  good,  the 
lines  were  irregular  and  somewhat  careless  looking. 
He  was  not  upbraided  for  becoming  (careless.  His 
enlarging  muscles  were  a  little  unruly  ;  time  would 
give  him  complete  control  of  them.  A  little 
patience  on  the  part  of  the  teacher  was  all  that 
was  needed. 

A  year  passetl  and  thore  wbh  not  an  un- 
certain   stroke    in    Chap's    writing ;    bin    sflf-ton- 


76  DIARY    OF    A 

sciousness  had  left  him  and  he  was  glad  to  declaim 
again. 

Chap  is  interesting  to  me  chiefly  as  a  boy  where 
there  seemed  to  be  at  no  time  any  lack  of  either 
mental  or  physical  activity.  He  never  seemed  to 
relax  for  a  moment.  If  be  were  not  studying, 
energy  was  not  wanting,  but  simply  diverted  to 
other  channels.  When  he  knew  he  must  study,  he 
could  center  his  attention  on  the  subject  before  him 
and  be  oblivious  to  everything  else  about  him. 

Chap  studied  less  out  of  school  than  most  pupils, 
or  he  could  have  finished  the  high  school  course  in 
a  much  shorter  period  than  four  years. 

At  eighteen  he  graduated  from  the  high  school, 
vigorous  mentally  and  physically,  and  with  energy 
that  promised  much  for  his  future. 

This  boy,  with  a  bold,  daring  spirit,  every  nerve 
and  muscle  throbbing  with  intense  life,  needed  a 
teacher  that  could  appreciate  that  this  vigorous  life 
was  in  itself  good ;  that  could  make  the  boy  feel 
that  she  was  not  suspicious  of  him  as  one  who 
would  do  wrong,  and  at  the  same  time  one  who 
would  cause  him  to  understand  that  fun  could  not 
go  beyond  bounds  in  her  school. 

He  had  a  contempt  for  a  gentle,  unskilled  teacher 
that  thought  that  boys  ought  to  be  too  good  to  have 
fun  by  interrupting  a  school.     He  belipved  that  a 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  77 

boy  would  have  fun  even  if  he  had  it  by  making 
sport  of  the  teacher.  Helplessness  on  the  part  of 
the  teacher  did  not  appeal  to  him  in  a  very  strong 
way,  or  as  he  said,  "  I  did  feel  sorry  for  her  but  it 
was  lots  of  fun  to  see  the  boys  and  girls  all  laughing, 
and  the  "teacher  so  helpless  she  couldn't  do  any- 
thing.'* 

Some  may  say  that  boys  ought  not  to  be  so.  All 
I  can  say  is  the  Lord  made  them,  He  knows  ;  and 
the  teacher  must  take  them  as  they  are. 


CHAPTER    X 


WILL 


Will  had  been  a  lair-skinned,  white-lieaded  lad 
up  to  the  age  of  fifteen  when  he  suddenly  changed 
into  an  "  almost  "  young  man  with  a  delicate  com- 
plexion, light  hair,  and  shapely  body  that  indicated 
physical  health  and  strength.  He  was  fond  of  the 
same  sports  that  Chap  was  fond  of  but  not  in  the 
same  dashing,  reckless  way. 

The  change  from  a  boy  to  a  young  man  came 
over  him  just  as  he  entered  the  high  school.  Always 
slow  mentally,  he  now  became  slower  than  ever, 
and  so  self-conscious  that  but  a  word  made  his  pink 
cheeks  crimson. 

He  was  painfully  slow  but  stuck  to  his  work  with 
a  perseverance  that  was  worth  more  than'  mere  in- 
tellectual quickness.  I  sometimes  thought  were  I 
(78) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  79 

in  his  place  I  should  be  strongly  tempted  to  give  up 
the  idea  of  a  high  school  education.  One  thing 
was  in  his  favor,  after  he  once  learned  a  thing  it 
was  his  so  that  when  a  subject  was  completed  he 
often  knew  much  more  than  many  who  had  done 
much  better  than  he  in  the  recitations  during  the 
term.  He  was  never  absent  from  school,  never 
failed  to  be  present  at  a  recitation  and  thus  kept 
the  lessons  connected  from  day  to  day. 

Will  was  fortunate  in  his  home,  father  and  mother 
both  deeply  interested  in  him  and  in  close  touch 
with  him.  The  father,  in  particular,  gave  him 
much  of  his  time,  was  companionable  with  him,  and 
held  his  confidence. 

Both  parents  were  sensible  people,  and  I  could 
talk  freely  with  them.  They  understood  their  boy, 
knew  how  slow  he  was  in  his  work,  and  believed 
that  it  was  his  peculiar  way  of  developing  and  did 
not  fret  and  worry  because  he  was  not  other  than 
he  was. 

There  had  been  a  time  when  he  was  in  the  lower 
grades  when  they  thought  that  possibly  the  teacher 
was  at  fault,  but  they  visited  the  school  and  found 
that  the  boy  was  slow  from  no  fault  of  the  teacher. 
From  that  time  on  they  held  him  to  his  regular 
school  work  at  home  and  thus  supplemented  the 
work  at  school.     They  knew  how  to  hold  him  to 


80  DIARY    OF    A 

his  work  and  yet  not  do  his  work  for  him  and  thus 
weaken  him. 

This  home  study,  rightly  directed,  was  the  thing 
that  made  it  possible  for  him  to  pass  from  grade  to 
grade  year  after  year.  He  was  so  strong  physically 
that  his  parents  had  no  fear  of  injuring  him  by 
requiring  this  regular  home-study  even  at  an  age 
when  children  ordinarily  should  not  study  out  of 
school  hours.  I  doubt  if  he  would  ever  have 
entered  the  high  school  had  not  such  care  been 
given  him. 

In  his  high  school  work  his  parents  were  not  dis- 
gusted with  either  boy  or  teachers  but  said  that  as 
long  as  he  was  working  faithfully  and  interestedly, 
and  making  a  medium  standing  in  his  class,  they 
were  satisfied. 

The  second  year  in  the  high  school  was  almost  a 
repetition  of  the  first.  His  habits  of  application 
formed  in  the  lower  grades,  were  now  his  stay.  In 
this  laborious  way  he  completed  the  high  school 
course,  the  last  two  years  not,  possibly,  quite  so 
slow  as  the  first. 

I  have  seen  many  boys  of  this  slow  mentality,  if 
I  may  so  call  it,  drop  out  of  school  because  of  lack 
of  co-operation  between  parents  and  teachers. 
Parents,  unwiUing  to  believe  that  their  boys  are  not 
so  quick  at  their  work  as  most  other  children,  are 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  81 

too  often  ready  to  lay  the  want  of  advancement  to 
the  slackness  of  the  teachers  and  after  a  time  to  be- 
come prejudiced  against  teachers  and  permit  the 
boys  to  drop  out  of  school.  Such  boys  are  safe 
only  when  parents  and  teachers  have  such  an  un- 
derstanding that  they  can  counsel  together  concern- 
ing the  best  interests  of  the  boys. 

When  parents  ask  why  their  boy  does  not  advance 
as  some  other  boy,  or  why  he  seems  to  be  the  poor- 
est in  his  class,  there  is  only  one  thing  to  do,  state 
the  facts  if  the  boy  is  unusually  slow ;  but  state 
them  very  carefully  or  offense  will  be  given.  That 
a  boy  is  slow  does  not  necessarily  imply  that  he 
does  not  possess  a  good  mind.  Early  York  cabbage 
planted  in  May  head  out  in  June  and  the  heads 
are  the  size  of  a  quart  cup ;  but  Flat  Dutch  cab- 
bage planted  in  May  head  out  in  November  and 
the  heads  are  the  size  of  a  half -bushel  measure. 

There  are  other  heads  tliat  grow   the  same  way./ 

6 


CHAPTER     XI 


HARRY 


Harry  was  the  seventh  son  and  had  he  been 
the  seventh  daughter,  the  old  saying  that  the 
seventh  daughter  is  gifted,  would  have  been  veri- 
fied in  this  case.  He  was  a  beautiful,  little,  red- 
headed fellow  of  eleven  years  when  he  entered 
the  high  school;  so  boyish-looking,  and  yet  so 
manly,  that  he  at  once  won  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  school. 

He  seemed  made  of  finer  clay  than  most  children ; 
a  body  that  a  sculptor  might  vainly  try  to  repro- 
duce ;  a  gracefully  poised  head ;  and  a  clear  gray 
eye  from  which  peeped  forth  a  soul  all  alive  to 
higher  things. 

He  cared  less  for  a  broncho  than  either  Chap  or 
Will,  but  enjoyed  base-ball,  skating,  and  other 
manly  sports.  At  home  Harry  was  a  student  no 
(82) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  83 

less  than  at  school,  yet  no   one   could   call   him  a 
book- worm. 

When  Harry  stood  up  at  the  side  of  some  ' '  six- 
footer  "  to  recite,  he  looked  diminutive,  indeed; 
but  when  he  had  finished  reciting,  he  had  so 
thoroughly  treated  the  topic  that  no  other  member 
of  the  class  could  add  thereto.  Did  some  pupil 
eighteen  or  nineteen  years  of  age  fail  to  recite,  the 
little  fellow  was  ready  to  fill  in  the  break.  Not 
offensively  putting  himself  forward,  not  in  a  bigoted 
way,  as  if  proud  of  his  own  strength,  but  so  uncon- 
sciously that  no  one  ever  thought  of  being  jealous 
of  him,  though  he  far  surpassed  them  all. 

He  was  never  called  to  account  for  improper  con- 
duct. Were  you  to  ask  what  we  did  with  such 
a  boy,  my  answer  would  be  that  we  directed  him 
in  his  studies  and  left  him  to  himself. 

From  year  to  year  Harry  grew  as  an  ordinary 
boy,  physically  not  at  all  beyond  his  years,  and 
when  just  past  fourteen,  still  in  knee-pants,  grad- 
uated from  the  high  school  as  fine  a  scholar  as  ever 
went  out  from  the  school.  When  I  say  he  was  not 
at  all  developed  physically  beyond  his  years,  I  do 
not  mean  that  his  physique  was  not  what  it  should 
be  for  a  boy  of  .fourteen,  for  he  had  fine  physique 
for  a  boy  of  his  age ;  in  fact,  he  was  one  of  the 
best  specimens  of  physical  vigor  in  the  class. 


84  DIARY    OF    A 

After  graduating  from  the  high  school,  Harry 
spent  one  or  two  years  as  delivery  boy  for  a  store , 
then  entered  a  university,  where  he  is  a  student 
to-day. 

Some  may  say  he  graduated  from  the  high  school 
too  young,  that  he  was  pushed,  and  should  have 
been  held  back. 

I  do  not  think  so.  Did  you  ever  walk  with  a 
person  who  walked  so  slowly  that  it  made  you  tired 
to  walk  with  him  ?  Then  you  ought  to  appreciate 
something  of  the  irksomeness  of  marching  four 
years  lock-step  with  those  who  can  take  only  one 
step  to  your  two.  The  nerve- wear  that  comes  from 
holding  some  boys  and  girls  back  is  equally  as  in- 
jurious, it  seems  to  me,  as  that  which  comes  to 
others  from  unduly  pushing  them  forward. 

It  is  true  Harry  did  the  work  of  the  school  in  a 
much  shorter  time  than  most  boys  and  girls  require, 
but  I  fail  to  see  why  he  should  not  when  he  could 
do  it  with  no  undue  effort  on  his  part.  I  admit 
that  he  is  an  unusual  case,  an  extreme  one,  if  you 
wish ;  but  what  was  right  in  his  case  is  right  in 
eveity  case,  that  is  to  know  the  boy  and  try  to  give 
each  individual  boy  the  work  that  seems  best  suited 
to  him. 

This  is  my  object  in  bringing  these  three  cases 
together,  to  show  that  the  school  work,  so  far  as  we 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  85 

were  able  to  judge,  was  suited  to  each  individual 
boy's  needs.  Will,  the  slow  one,  was  not  found 
fault  with  for  not  possessing  the  same  mental  pre- 
cocity that  marked  Harry,  but  his  industry  and 
perseverance  were  so  appreciated,  even  though  his 
progress  was  slow,  that  he  never  felt  himself  one 
whit  less  worthy  than  Harry.  Chap,  while  not 
precocious,  possessed  what  I  have  called,  possibly 
incorrectly,  a  vigorous  intellect,  but  lacked  that 
stick -tuitiveness  and  dogged  perseverance  that  in 
Will  amounted  to  almost  genius.  The  work  of  no 
one  of  these  three  could  have  been  exchanged  for 
that  of  one  of  either  of  the  others  without  a  serious 
misfit. 

All  three  of  the  boys  are  to-day  in  higher  institu- 
tions of  learning  and  so  far  as  I  am  informed  of 
their  work  are  as  markedly  different  as  when  in  the 
high  school. 

This  fact  presses  itself  home  to  me  more  and 
more,  that  teaching  is  after  all  a  hand-to-hand,  in- 
tellect-to-intellect, heart-to-heart  contact  with  in- 
dividuals, and  that  in  all  this  direct  work  a  good 
grain  of  common  business  sense  must  be  exercised. 
Classes  are  necessary  in  the  movement  of  school 
work,  but  the  teacher  who  stops  short  of  a  knowl- 
edge of  individuals  must  remain  more  or  less  a 
failure. 


CHAPTER     XII 


TOM 


Tom  came  to  us  at  fifteen  years  of  age,  a  tall 
angular  boy,  a  large  Roman  nose,  one  eye  slightly 
crossed,  very  uncouth  in  his  manner,  awkward  and 
ungainly  in  his  movement.  His  home  was  in  the 
country,  eight  miles  from  town.  The  first  year  he 
was  with  us  he  rode  a  broncho  back  and  forth, 
morning  and  evening.  Of  a  number  of  boys  in  his 
father's  family,  he  was  the  only  one  that  aspired  to 
an  education. 

He  had  been  in  school  but  a  short  time  before  we 
discovered  that  he  had  a  keen  intellect.  He  was 
always  prepared  with  his  lessons.  The  scholars 
soon  gave  him  the  recognition  due  to  superior  intel- 
lectual strength,  and,  unpolished  country  boy  that 
he  was,  he  was  treated  with  deference  by  all. 

One  year  in  the  high  school  greatly  improved 
(86) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  87 

him.  His  hair,  his  neck-tie,  and  his  shoes  were  no 
longer  ' '  unknown  quantities  ' '  but  had  passed  from 
the  X,  y,  z,  to  the  a,  b,  c,  of  his  equation ;  and  his 
manners  were  more  changed  than  his  dress. 

He  was  in  the  high  school  three  years.  He  not 
only  did  the  three  years'  work  and  did  it  well,  but 
he  also  read  a  great  many  valuable  books  from  the 
library.  He  was  always  improving  his  spare  mo- 
ments with  a  book.  He  read  more  good  books  than 
any  other  member  of  the  high  school,  during  the 
three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school. 

During  the  last  two  years  he  was  in  the  high 
school,  he  worked  for  his  board  and  lived  in  town. 
An  elderly  couple  gave  him  a  home  for  doing  their 
chores.  It  was  a  good  home,  the  work  was  light, 
and  he  had  plenty  of  time  for  study. 

In  a  high  school  where  there  are  many  of  only 
ordinary  ability,  it  is,  to  say  the  least,  rather  inter- 
esting to  meet  such  a  one  as  Tom.  One  who  seems 
to  take  in  great  "  chunks  "  of  information  and  to 
digest  them  as  easily  as  if  they  had  been  ground  to 
meal. 

He  made  himself  felt  in  almost  every  line  of 
school  work.  In  the  debating  society  he  was  a 
leader,  and  developed  considerable  ability  as  a 
speaker.  He  made  use  of  every  available  means  to 
improve  himself. 


88  DIARY    OF    A 

Thus  busy  at  work  he  moved  along  till  the  latter 
half  of  his  senior  year.  Coming  from  the  country 
and  not  being  a  member  of  any  of  the  little  social 
cliques  that  so  often  cause  jealousies  among  town 
girls  and  boys,  he  was  the  recipient  of  honors  that 
otherwise  might  have  gone  elsewhere.  Now  was 
the  time  for  electing  the  valedictorian  for  commence- 
ment. His  class-mates  by  unanimous  vote  elected 
him  to  the  position. 

He  had  prepared  his  oration,  and  the  close  of  the 
term  was  near  at  hand.  What  was  my  surprise  and 
disappointment  to  have  a  friend  come  to  me  and  tell 
me  that  Tom  had  been  guilty  of  forging  a  check  a 
few  days  before.  He  had  forged  it  at  one  of  the 
banks  on  the  old  gentleman  with  whom  he  was 
living. 

The  friend  could  not  give  me  the  particulars,  but 
thought  I  ought  to  know  it  as  it  was  known  by  a 
number  of  persons  and  was  fast  spreading  over  the 
town. 

' '  What  ought  I  to  do !  "  was  the  question  that 
came  to  me.  I  must  decide  quickly.  If  true,  I 
could  not  feel  that  it  would  be  right  for  him  to  hold 
the  position  of  highest  honor  on  commencement 
evening. 

I  soon  decided  that  I  would  go  to  him,  tell  him 
what  I  had  heard  and  ask  him  to  tell  me  what  had 


westp:rn  schoolmaster.  89 

been  done.  I  was  sure  he  would  trust  me  as  a 
friend,  and  that  whatever  mistake  he  had  made  or 
wrong  he  had  done,  he  would  talk  with  me  and  that 
thus  I  could  help  him  to  do  what  would  be  best 
for  him  and  best  for  all. 

Humiliated,  almost  crushed,  with  tears  streaming 
down  his  face,  he  told  me  his  story.  The  old  gen- 
tleman with  whom  he  lived  had  money  in  one  of  the 
banks,  and  when  he  wanted  some  for  use,  would 
have  Tom  fill  out  a  check,  take  it  to  the  bank  and 
bring  him  the  money.  Tom  had  done  this  often, 
but  one  day  the  temptation  came  to  write  the  check 
for  more  than  the  old  gentleman  wanted  and  keep 
out  a  part  for  himself.  As  he  did  most  of  the  old 
gentleman's  business,  it  would  never  be  discovered. 
He  yielded  to  the  temptation  and  kept  out  the 
money. 

This  was  several  weeks  before  and  no  one  had 
suspected  that  anything  was  wrong  until  the  old 
gentlemen's  son  came  to  visit  him  and  in  looking 
after  his  father's  business  at  the  bank,  found  one 
check  that  did  not  tally  with  its  stub. 

This  called  for  an  investigation.  Tom  confessed, 
made  good  the  amount,  and  was  forgiven  and  re- 
tained in  the  home.  This  is  the  story  as  given  me 
by  Tom  and  I  found  it  to  be  true. 

I  felt  sorry  for  him,  could  forgive  him  the  wrong- 


90  DIARY    OF   A 

doing  but  could  not  prevent  the  humiliation  that 
must  necessarily  follow.  Could  he,  should  he  be 
permitted  to  hold  the  prominent  place  on  the  class 
program  alter  having  committed  such  an  offense? 
Would  it  be  for  his  good  even  if  others  were  not 
considered?     I  felt  it  must  not  be. 

I  told  him  as  kindly  as  I  could  that  I  thought  it 
woul(J  be  in  place  for  him  to  tender  his  resignation 
as  valedictorian  of  the  class  ;  that  he  could  write  it 
out  and  I  would  present  it  to  the  class  ;  that  I  would 
interview  the  members  of  the  board  of  education, 
some  of  whom  had  already  heard  of  what  had  hap- 
pened, and  ask  them  to  grant  him  the  privilege  of 
graduating ;  and  that  since  he  had  made  restitution, 
I  would  sign  his  diploma,  hoping  that  this  one 
wrong  would  prove  a  lesson.  It  was  hard  for  him, 
it  was  no  easy  task  for  me,  yet  I  could  see  no  other 
way. 

His  class-mates  were  called  together,  the  mat- 
ter was  laid  before  them.  I  told  them  how  I  felt 
and  what  I  thought ;  asked  them  to  consider  it 
carefully,  with  a  kindly  feeling  for  the  offender, 
then  to  tell  me  what  they  thought  would  be  the 
right  thing  to  do  ;  that  not  only  their  actions  but 
mine  too  would  be  largely  governed  by  Avhat  they 
thought.  There  was  no  ugly  spirit  in  the  meeting, 
all  felt  that  they  must  help  render    a   decision  and 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  91 

that  they  must  not  make  a  mistake.  They  accepted 
his  resignation  and  elected  another  to  the  place,  but 
they  did  it  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  make  him  feel 
that  he  was  cast  off. 

I  interviewed  the  board.  All  felt  that  his  offense 
was  a  very  serious  one  for  a  bright  young  man  of 
eighteen,  but  as  it  was  his  first,  so  far  as  we  knew, 
they  granted  my  request  in  his  behalf.  They  were 
willing  to  give  him  every  chance  to  redeem  himself. 

Commencement  night  Tom  sat  humiliated  while 
another  filled  the  place  that  had  been  his,  but  his 
stepping  down  won  for  him  a  sympathy  that  made 
all  kind  in  feeling  toward  him.  All  felt  that  he  had 
had  justice  tempered  with  mercy. 

Probably  the  story  is  not  worth  the  telling ;  but 
teachers  who  have  not  been  through  similar  experi- 
ences, do  not  know  how  heavily  such  things  draw 
upon  one's  sympathies,  and  how  difficult  it  is  to  deal 
justly  and  yet  so  wisely  that  no  violence  is  done  to 
any  one's  sense  of  right.  Here  is  where  many 
high  school  principals  and  teachers  fall  short ;  they 
do  what  they  believe  to  be  right,  but  for  want  of 
tact  and  a  close  sympathy  with  the  scholars,  they 
are  not  able  to  look  at  the  offense  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  girls  and  boys,  and  so  fail  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  the  young  people's  sense  of 
justice. 


92  DIARY    OF    A 

After  graduating,  Tom  taught  country  schools 
for  a  few  years ;  built  up  a  good  reputation  as  a 
teacher  of  ungraded  schools ;  in  all  his  dealings, 
conducted  himself  as  a  man  of  honor ;  saved  his 
money,  entered  a  higher  institution  of  learning, 
from  which  he  graduated  with  honor,  and  is  to-day 
a  promising  young  man  in  professional  life. 

Whether  or  not  I  dealt  wisely  with  him,  you  must 
judge.  He  trusted  me  through  it  all  and  we  are 
still  warm  friends. 

This  instance  and  a  number  of  others  coming 
under  my  observation  in  which  boys  of  his  age 
placed  in  responsible  positions  where  they  handled 
money  for  other  persons  and  were  not  strictly 
honest,  have  caused  these  questions  to  come  into 
my  mind :  "Is  there  anything  in  the  peculiar  condi- 
tion of  boys'  minds  at  this  age  that  renders  many 
of  them  more  liable  to  yield  to  the  temptation  to 
steal  than  at  other  times?  "  "If  there  is,  will  it, 
too,  be  of  a  transitory  nature  like  most  of  the  ex- 
periences of  adolescence,  and  if  not  permitted  to 
develop  itself  by  indulgence,  in  time  pass  away 
without  leaving  any  permanent  effect  on  the 
character?  " 


CHAPTER     XIII 


HENRY 


Heniy,  a  large,  raw-boned  boy  of  nineteen  years 
of  age,  presented  himself  at  the  high  school  one 
morning  at  the  opening  of  the  spring  term  and 
asked  to  be  received  with  the  privilege  of  taking 
certain  studies  he  had  selected  rather  than  the  reg- 
ular course  as  he  was  to  be  in  the  school  one  term 
only.  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  he  was  selecting  those 
studies  that  would  fit  him  to  take  the  teacher's 
examination,,  and  as  I  was  glad  to  have  him  inter- 
ested in  school  granted  his  request. 

He  settled  down  to  his  work  with  a  determination 
that  meant  the  mastery  of  every  lesson ;  but  day 
after  day  as  he  sat  and  worked  or  even  when  recit- 
ing there  was  something  of  a  distressed  look  about 
him,  a  kind  of  a  stem,  hard-set  expression  in  his 
face  that  made  me  pity  him.     I  could  not  look  at 

(93) 


94  DIARY    OF    A 

him  without  feeling  that  he  was  alone  in  the  school ; 
that  outside  the  work  therie  was  no  pleasure  for  him 
there.  In  fact,  so  stern  and  set  was  his  face  that 
he  almost  repelled  any  advances  that  were  made. 

Most  of  his  recitation  work  at  this  time  was 
under  one  teacher  and  his  manner  of  reciting  was 
such  that  she  felt  that  he  was  always  questioning 
whether  or  not  she  knew  her  work.  Finally  one 
day  in  mental  arithmetic,  after  she  had  explained  a 
problem  he  spoke  out  very  abruptly  and  said  that 
the  solution  was  not  correct.  She,  without  seem- 
ing to  notice  his  disrespect  to  her,  simply  asked  the 
class  to  please  look  over  the  solution  very  carefully 
before  the  next  day  as  she  was  sure  the  solution 
was  a  correct  one.  Henry  scowled  and  looked 
more  forbidding  than  ever  but  said  nothing. 

The  next  morning  before  school  was  called, 
Henry  spoke  to  the  teacher  and  said,  "  You  are 
right  in  your  solution  of  that  problem,  I  knoiv  you 
are  right.  I  was  wrong  but  I  have  studied  it  until 
I  understand  it  now." 

From  that  time  on  he  presented  a  different  atti- 
tude toward  the  teacher ;  he  had  all  confidence  in 
her  so  that  she  instead  of  being  annoyed  by  him  as 
she  had  been,  was  glad  to  have  him  in  her  classes ; 
but  he  was  still  the  same  unhappy,  stoical  looking 
young   person  as  he  sat  at  study  in  the  assembly 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  95 

room,  and  in  nothing  did  he  seem  to  have  any  part 
with  the  other  scholars. 

I  made  a  number  of  attempts  to  talk  with  him,  at 
first  to  no  purpose.  He  was  in  school  several  weeks 
before  I  knew  much  more  of  him  than  that  he  was 
an  unhappy-appearing,  hard-working  country  boy 
who  rode  a  pony  to  and  from  school  morning  and 
evening.  Finally  one  of  the  school-boys  told  me 
that  Henry  was  one  of  a  large  family  of  boys  and 
that  he  had  served  a  term  in  the  State  Reform 
School.  This  explained,  or  seemed  to  explain 
Henry's  peculiar  manner  and  also  the  fact 
that  the  other  scholars  paid  but  little  attention 
to   him. 

My  interest  in  him  was  now  deeply  aroused  and 
I  determined  to  come  into  touch  with  him  in  some 
way. 

As  the  weeks  went  by  he  improved  in  his  work 
so  that  his  teacher  often  conomented  on  it  and  said 
that  he  was  such  a  student  that  he  ought  to  finish 
the  high  school  course.  When  I  saw  how  he  could 
do  the  work,  I  too  felt  that  he  should  try  to  arrange 
his  wprk  with  a  view  to  completing  the  course.  I 
had  a  long  talk  with  him,  told  him  of  the  good 
reports  of  his  work  and  after  he  opened  himself  up 
and  was  interested  in  talking  with  me,  told  him  that 
if  it  were  at  all  possible  he  ought  to  plan  to  be  in 


96  DIARY   OF   A 

school  until  he  could  complete  the  high  school 
course 

"  Why,  I  have  never  thought  of  such  a  thing," 
said  he,  "I  am  too  old."  "  How  old  are  you?  " 
said  I.  "  I'm  nineteen  years  old,  and  I  could  never 
be  in  school  three  years  more."  "  No  ;  I  can't  do 
it,"  said  he.  "  But  you  ought  to  and  you  would 
like  to  if  you  could?  "  continued  I. 

He  admitted  that  he  was  really  enjoying  school 
and  that  he  would  like  to  complete  the  course  if 
such  a  thing  were  possible,  but  thought  he  was  too 
old. 

I  knew  his  mind  was  opening  up  to  the  possibil- 
ity of  the  thing  and  that  he  must  have  a  little  time 
to  think  it  over,  and  that  I  must  not  try  to  force 
him  to  a  decision,  as  he  did  his  own  thinking. 
However,  I  saw  that  he  was  much  pleased  to  know 
that  we  cared  to  have  him  become  a  member  of  the 
school  looking  forward  to  graduation,  and  his  face 
brightened. 

I  could  now  talk  with  him  and  made  it  a  point  to 
cultivate  his  acquaintance.  Before  the  close  of  the 
term  he  said  to  me :  "I  think  I'll  take  your  advice 
and  stay  in  the  school  till  I  graduate,  I'll  be  pretty 
old  when  I  get  through  but  I'll  know  a  little  some- 
thing and  I  do  like  the  school." 

By  the  close  of  the  spring  term  he  had  established 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  97 

the  fact  that  he  was  a  good  student  and  this  in  itself 
gained  for  him  a  certain  respect  among  the  other 
students ;  but  his  stoical,  forbidding  manner,  and 
his  having  served  a  term  in  the  state  reformatory 
kept  him  from  mingling  freely  with  them. 

The  following  September  Henry  was  again  in  his 
place  in  school,  anxious  to  arrange  his  work  with 
a  view  to  completing  the  course.  This  year  he 
worked  so  faithfully,  accomplished  so  much,  and 
was  so  honest  and  upright  in  all  his  ways,  that  he 
fast  won  the  high  regard  of  the  entire  school ;  and 
when  he  entered  the  debating  society  and  proved  to 
the  boys  that  he  was  a  match  for  their  strongest 
debaters,  he  quickly  became  a  leader  and  was 
selected  president  of  the  society,  which  position  he 
filled  with  honor  to  himself  and  to  the  society.  He 
studied  parliamentary  law  and  as  president  held 
everj-thing  strictly  to  that  law.  The  fact,  that  he 
had  been  in  the  state  reformatory  was  now  for- 
gotten in  the  Scriptural  sense  of  the  word.  He 
was  respected  for  what  he  was. 

The  last  two  years  he  was  in  school  he  was  presi- 
dent of  his  class,  an  honor  that  he  rightly  deserved. 
It  is  true  his  abrupt  manner  always  clung  to  him, 
the  want  of  early  refining  influences  could  not  easily 
be  overcome,  but  notwithstanding  this,  all  knew 
that  he  was  every  whit  a  manly  man  and  as  such  he 
7 


98  DIARY    OF    A 

held  their  confidence.  He  was  a  power  for  good 
in  our  school.  One  strong,  rugged  character,  capa- 
ble in  every  way,  always  standing  for  that  which  is 
strictly  right,  is  one  of  the  best  influences  that  can 
be  brought  into  any  school. 

After  he  graduated  from  the  high  school  he  taught 
school  a  few  years,  saved  his  money  and  then  took 
a  course  in  a  higher  institution  of  learning,  and  is 
to-day  a  valuable  member  of  society,  one  whose  in- 
telligence and  education  give  him  influence  in  the 
community  where  he  lives. 

It  is  not  so  much  tvhat  the  boys  study  when  they 
enter  school,  I  am  willing  they  should  choose  what 
they  like  best,  anything  to  get  them  interested  ;  but 
it  is  of  great  impoHance  to  thoroughly  arouse  their 
interest  and  to  lead  them  to  study  what  will  give 
them  as  rounded  a  course  as  possible. 


CHAPTER     XIV 


GEORGE 


George  entered  our  school  a  month  after  it  opened 
one  fall  term  and  took  up  the  work  in  the  Freshman 
class  without  difficulty,  except  in  the  Latin.  This, 
at  first,  gave  him  trouble  but  by  the  end  of  the 
second  month  he  was  as  good  as  any  in  the  class. 

He  was  past  eighteen  years  of  age  and  had  never 
before  attended  other  than  an  ungraded  country 
school.  He  was  large  and  strong,  and  possessed 
an  excellent  mind.  But  notwithstanding  his  fine 
physique  and  bright  mind,  he  did  not  at  first  pre- 
sent a  very  attractive  appearance  for  he  was  clad  in 
very  plain,  coarse  clothing  that  indicated  that  the 
closest  economy  was  necessary  for  him  to  be  in 
school  at  all. 

The  first  time  I  talked  with  him  he  told  me  that 
it  was  uncertain  how  long  he  might  be  in  school  as 

(99) 


100  DIARY    OF    A 

his  people  had  just  moved  into  town  and  were  not 
yet  decided  as  to  how  long  they  might  remain. 

He  became  deeply  interested  in  his  studies  and 
was  able  to  do,  and  did  do  well,  almost  twice  as 
much  work  as  any  other  boy  in  the  same  class.  This 
was  in  part,  at  least,  due  to  his  being  two  years 
older  than  most  of  those  in  his  class ;  still  he  had 
an  excellent  mind  and  a  vigorous  body  and  was 
willing  to  bend  every  energy  to  his  school  work. 

The  weeks  went  by  quickly  for  him  and  soon  it 
was  the  first  of  March,  and  he  was  beginning  to 
think  of  spring  work.  He  had  no  choice,  toork  he 
must,  and  that  just  as  soon  as  he  could  secure  a 
place  on  some  farm. 

During  the  year  we  had  often  talked  of  his  school 
work ;  but  now  I  felt  that  I  must  help  him  to  see 
how  it  would  be  possible  for  him  to  continue  with  it 
until  he  could  comi^lete  the  high  school  course,  even 
if  it  were  necessary  for  him  to  cut  short  the  school 
term  at  both  ends.  I  asked  him  if  he  ever  thought 
of  completing  the  high  school  course. 

"  No,"  said  he,  "  I  have  never  thought  it  possi- 
ble. I  am  always  a  month  late  entering  school  in 
fall  and  am  compelled  to  drop  out  early  in  the 
spring,  so  how  can  I  hope  to  finish  the  high  school 
course,  even  if  we  continue  to  live  in  town?  " 

"  Very  easily,"  I  replied,  "  with  your  habits  of 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  101 

study,  your  mature  mind,  and  strong  body,  and 
with  a  set  determination  to  finish  the  course,  I  Tcnow 
you  can  do  it.  If  you  will  but  try  to  do  the  work, 
I  will  see  that  you  have  every  opportunity  while  in 
school  to  make  up  what  you  have  missed  by  being 
out  a  few  weeks  in  the  spring  and  the  first  month 
in  the  fall.     I  am  sure  you  can  do  it." 

George  was  pleased  and  said,  "  I  never  thought 
such  a  thing  possible  before.  I'U  do  my  best  and 
every  day  I  am  not  working  I'll  be  in  school." 

He,  soon  after  this  conversation,  began  work  on 
a  farm  and  was  not  again  in  school  until  a  month 
of  the  following  fall  term  had  passed.  When  he 
again  entered  school  he  was  thoroughly  alive  to  his 
work.  In  some  studies  there  were  many  lessons  to 
be  made  up  before  he  could  gain  anything  from 
the  recitations ;  in  others  he  could  begin  the  recita- 
tion work  with  the  classes  and  later  make  up  the 
back  work.  Thus  he  began,  earnestly,  vigorously 
working  to  bring  up  the  back  work,  and  in  part  of 
the  work  preparing  and  reciting  the  advance  lessons 
with  the  classes.  —  It  is  almost  wonderful  how  much 
work  a  good,  strong  fellow  can  do  when  he  is  work- 
ing for  a  definite  object.  —  But  little  help  was  given 
George,  yet  long  before  the  time  for  him  to  drop 
out  of  school  again  he  was  fully  abreast  of  his  class. 
He  was  strong  in  the  class. 


102  DIARY    OF    A 

Thus  he  worked  year  after  year  until  he  gradu- 
ated ;  the  last  spring,  however,  he  remained  in 
school  until  the  close. 

The  very  fact  that  he  did  so  much  of  his  work 
with  but  little  attention  irom  the  teacher,  made  him 
independent,  self-reliant,  willing  to  do  the  bard 
parts  as  well  as  the  easy,  and  when  he  graduated 
he  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  scholarly 
members  of  the  class. 

/  It  pays  to  help  boys  to  see  the  possibilities  that 
/  lie  within  their  reach.     We  teachers  in  all  our  work 
I    ought  to  remember  that  the  schools  are  for  the  boys 
SLudnot  the  boys  for  the  schools. 


CHAPTER     XV 


NIM 


Niin's  early  history  so  far  as  anything  is  known 
of  it  is  this :  when  but  six  or  seven  years  of  age  he 
was  taken  from  the  streets  of  New  York  City  and 
with  a  number  of  other  boys  sent  to  Kansas  where 
homes  were  found  for  them  among  the  farming  peo- 
ple of  that  State.  Of  his  parents  he  remembered 
nothing,  and  the  records  of  the  society  that  sent 
him  to  his  Western  home  give  no  clue  to  their 
identity. 

It  was  Nim's  lot  to  be  adopted  by  a  farmer  who 
lived  on  the  border  line  of  the  rainless  district  in 
western  Kansas,  a  farmer  who  each  year  found  it 
harder  and  harder  to  make  ends  meet  and,  finally 
for  the  sake  of  a  change,  if  not  with  the  hope  of  bet- 
tering his  condition,  moved  to  the  valley  of  the 
Platte  in  central  Nebraska. 

(103) 


104  DIARY    OF    A 

Here  he  rented  a  farm  and  worked  hard  to  make 
a  living ;  but  the  sweat  of  his  brow  scarce  earned 
his  bread ;  one  year  the  drouth  parched  his  crops 
and  the  next  they  were  destroyed  by  hail. 
Thoroughly  disheartened  by  such  a  life,  he  became 
ill-tempered,  and  Nim  found  it  impossible  to  live 
peaceably  with  him  and  many  unpleasant  scenes 
occurred  between  them. 

The  farmer  finally  decided  that  he  would  send 
Nim  to  the  state  reform  or  industrial  school, 
when  Mr.  Stone,  a  gentleman  from  our  town  who 
owned  a  ranch  near  Nim's  home,  offered  to  give 
him  a  home  for  a  time,  at  least,  on  his  ranch. 

Nim  was  fourteen  the  spring  he  went  to  Mr. 
Stone's  ranch  to  work  and  all  the  summer  long  he 
worked  on  the  ranch  and  lived  pleasantly  and  hap- 
pily with  those  in  charge  of  it. 

In  September,  he  came  to  live  with  Mr.  Stone  in 
town  that  he  might  be  in  school,  a  better  school  and 
a  longer  term  than  he  could  have  in  the  country. 
Mr.  Stone  clothed  him  as  neatly  as  any  of  the  boys 
and  treated  him  as  kindly  as  though  he  were  his 
own  son,  nor  permitted  him  to  miss  a  day  of 
school. 

Nim  was  a  fine-looking  boy,  bright  in  mind,  and 
attractive  in  manners,  and  soon  entered  into  the  life 
and  spirit  of  the  school.     He  began  in  the  seventh 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  105 

grade  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  was  promoted  to 
the  eighth.  When  school  was  dismissed  for  the 
summer  vacation  Nim  went  to  work  on  the  ranch. 
In  September  he  returned  to  school. 

This  second  year  passed  with  him  as  the  first. 
Mr.  Stone  was  very  careful  not  to  permit  him  to 
loaf  about  the  town  when  not  in  school ;  before 
school  of  a  morning  and  after  school  of  an  evening 
he  had  his  chores  to  do,  and  after  these  were  at- 
tended to  he  was  required  to  give  his  time  to  the 
preparation  of  lessons  for  the  coming  day.  I  do 
not  mean  that  he  was  allowed  no  time  for  sports  and 
play  with  other  boys  ;  he  had  his  full  share  of  time 
for  recreation  and  improved  it  too ;  but  I  mean 
this :  Mr.  Stone  systematized  Nim's  work  and  play 
so  that  a  year  in  school  meant  a  year  of  earnest 
effort  and  improvement. 

At  the  close  of  this  year' he  was  promoted  to  the 
high  school.     He  was  now  sixteen  years  of  age. 

On  account  of  sickness  in  his  family  Mr.  Stone 
found  it  necessary  to  spend  a  year  in  another 
State.  As  this  broke  up  his  home  he  could  not 
look  after  Nim  as  he  had  done  the  last  two  years. 

Nim,  pow  sixteen  years  of  age,  began  to  shift 
for  himself.  He  secured  work  in  the  country  and  I 
knew  no  more  of  him  until  a  week  or  two  after 
school  opened  the  following  September,  when  I  re- 


106  DIARY   OF   A 

ceived  a  note  from  him  telling  me  he  was  working 
for  a  certain  farmer  and  that  his  job  of  work  would 
be  completed  within  a  few  days  and  asking  me  to 
please  help  him  find  a  home  in  town  where  he  could 
work  for  his  board  and  attend  the  high  school. 

It  happened  that  just  a  few  days  before  this 
Mr.  Kane,  a  friend  of  mine,  had  asked  me  if  I 
knew  of  any  boy  that  would  like  to  work  for  his 
board  and  attend  the  high  school,  so  I  wrote  Nim 
to  come  see  me  at  once,  that  I  thought  I  could  help 
him.  He  came  and  through  my  influence  secured  a 
home  in  one  of  the  best  families  in  the  town. 

His  work  was  light,  a  cow  to  milk  morning  and 
evening,  a  horse  and  buggy  to  take  care  of  and  as 
there  was  never  a  rain  in  the  winter  season,  it  took 
but  little  work  to  keep  a  buggy  in  good  trim.  He 
was  treated  as  one  of  the  family,  was  given  his  own 
room,  heated  night  and  day,  in  fact,  was  better 
situated  for  his  evening  study  than  half  the  students 
of  the  high  school.  Of  Saturdays  Mr.  Kane  gave 
him  work  on  the  farm  and  paid  him  full  wages  for 
the  same  so  that  Nim  could  have  his  own  pocket 
money. 

The  first  month  Mr.  Kane  was  delighted  with 
Nim  and  Nim  was  equally  pleased  with  his  new 
home.  But  before  the  end  of  the  second  month 
things   were  changing.     Mr.  Kane   said  Nim  was 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  107 

staying  out  late  at  night,  and  at  school  we  were  not 
satisfied  with  his  work. 

I  talked  with  Nim ;  he  admitted  that  he  some- 
times remained  out  in  town  later  than  he  should  but 
thought  he  could  quit  it,  and  would  try  to  give 
more  time  to  the  preparation  of  his  lessons.  But 
there  was  improvement  only  for  a  few  days  then  he 
was  out  at  night  and  behind  in  his  work  at  school. 

I  said  to  Mr.  Kane  that  he  ought  to  tell  him 
what  he  could  and  what  he  could  not  do,  as  Mr. 
Stone  had  done,  that  I  believed  Nim  would  obey 
him ;  but  Mr.  Kane  was  a  Southern  man,  and  said 
that  he  had  once  been  able  to  ' '  boss  ' '  colored  peo- 
ple but  he  could  not  command  white  persons  about 
his  own  home ;  that  if  he  had  to  ' '  boss  ' '  the  boy 
as  he  had  once  "  bossed  "  the  "  darkies  "  he 
would  rather  not  have  him  about  the  place. 
"But,"  said  he,  "I  cannot  turn  that  boy  out  of 
my  home  while  he  has  no  place  to  go  and  we  like 
him  very  much,  but  we  know  he  is  not  doing  right." 

At  school  Nim  was  not  accomplishing  what  he 
was  capable  of  doing  simply  because  his  time  out- 
side of  school  was  so  taken  up  with  other  things. 

Spring  came,  Nim  secured  work  in  the  country 
and  left  school  for  the  last  time.  Had  Mr.  Kane 
held  Nim  with  the  same  firm  hand  that  Mr.  Stone 
had   done,    he  might,  in   time,  have  come  to  the 


108  DIARY    OF    A 

point  where  he  could  see  lor  himself  what  "v^as  best 
or  he  might  have  resented  it  and  done  worse  than 
he  did.  I  am  inclined  to  think  a  strong  hand 
would  have  been  a  blessing. 

I  knew  him  for  two  years  after  he  left  school. 
He  was  the  same  Nim,  a  handsome  fellow,  liked  by 
all  who  knew  him,  but  never  developing  any  real 
independence  of  character.  When  the  Cuban  war 
came  on  he  enlisted  in  the  army  and  since  then  I 
have  heard  nothing  of  him. 

I  do  not  know  that  our  interest  in  him  did  him 
any  lasting  good  ;  it  placed  him  within  the  reach  of 
a  high  school  education  but  he  failed  to  improve 
the  opportunity ;  had  he  been  willing  to  make  good 
use  of  his  time,  he  could  have  had  a  home  at  Mr. 
Kane's  until  he  graduated  from  the  high  school ; 
but  it  seemed  that  when  he  realized  that  he  was 
responsible  to  no  one  outside  of  school  that  he  was 
not  capable  of  directing  himself  to  his  best  inter- 
ests. And  yet,  all  considered,  his  early  life,  his 
unpleasant  boyhood,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at  that  he 
failed  to  make  the  most  of  himself  when  freed  from 
restraint  ? 


CHAPTER    XVI 


NATE 


I  had  been  in  charge  of  the  schools  at  G but 

a  few  days  when  one  of  the  teachers  asked  me  if  I 
had  made  the  acquaintance  of  Nate,  as  she  put  it, 
the  ' '  thorn  in  the  flesh  ' '  to  the  last  principal. 

I  replied  that  I  had  not  or,  at  least,  not  in  an 
unpleasant  way.  Nate  had  been  in  school  from  the 
first  day  but  had  done  nothing  to  attract  my  atten- 
tion other  than  that  his  general  bearing  had  marked 
him  as  one  of  the  leaders  among  the  boys.  His  full, 
high  forehead,  his  high  cheek  bones,  and  strong 
lower  jaw,  that  seemed  to  close  with  the  clinch  of  a 
vice,  and  his  clear  gray  eye,  that  seemed  to  pene- 
trate whatever  it  was  turned  upon,  gave  the  im- 
pression of  an  unusually  strong  character.  He  was 
about  fifteen  years  of  age  at  this  time  and  had  three 
years  of  high  school  work  before  him. 

no9) 


110  DIARY    OF    A 

In  the  grammar  grade  he  had  been  the  acknowl- 
edged leader  in  arithmetic  and  English  grammar. 
A  problem  that  Nate  could  not  solve  was  a  rare 
thing  and  he  prided  himself  not  a  little  on  his  ability 
to  deal  with  almost  all  of  the  little  knotty  questions 
that  came  up  in  the  study  of  grammar  in  the  high 
school ;  that  is,  he  could  cite  authorities  on  most  of 
these  points  thus  showing  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  most  of  the  grammars  accessible  to  the  school. 
The  other  scholars  stood  somewhat  in  awe  of  his 
accomplishments  in  these  two  lines  of  study.  In 
other  work  he  was  above  the  average  until  he  came 
to  algebra ;  in  this  for  a  time  he  fell  far  short. 

The  teacher  who  had  charge  of  Nate's  algebra 
class  was  a  good  teacher  in  some  tilings  but  in 
algebra  accomplished  nothing.  The  class  finally  be- 
came so  discouraged  that  I  made  a  change  and  took 
charge  of  it  myself.  Although  bright  boys  and  girls, 
they  had  come  to  think  algebra  was  a  little  beyond 
them  and  were  willing  to  give  it  up.  Day  after 
day  I  worked  to  overcome  the  deadening  effect  of 
the  former  teaching  and  gradually  they  became  in- 
terested and  willing  to  believe  they  could  learn  it. 
Day  after  day  we  drilled  carefully  on  the  simple 
process  of  factoring  until  most  of  them  felt  a  cer- 
tain confidence  in  themselves  and  were  glad  to  try 
the  more  difficult  problems  without  so  much  as  a 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTEK.  Ill 

suggestion  from  me.  But  Nate  sat  with  his  teeth 
firmly  clinched  together  fully  decided  that  he  could 
not  learn  and  therefore  it  was  all  a  waste  of  time 
for  him  to  try.  In  fact,  he  had  so  fully  convinced 
himself  that  he  could  not  learn  that  he  would  not 
learn. 

I  permitted  this  to  go  on  for  several  days  hoping 
that  his  sense  of  pride  would  be  aroused  by  seeing 
the  others  becoming  independent  in  their  work,  but 
he  was  not  to  be  so  moved.  One  evening  I  detained 
the  class  after  school  to  give  them  a  drill  on  a  more 
than  ordinarily  difficult  case  in  factoring.  Nate 
took  his  place  at  the  board  but  failed  to  follow  the 
dictation.  At  first,  I  did  not  apparently  notice  his 
stubborn  manner  but  suggested  to  him  what  to  do 
just  as  pleasantly  as  though  he  were  putting  forth 
every  effort.  He  followed  in  a  heartless  way  with 
no  attempt  to  understand  the  process  I  was  teaching 
them ;  he  was  closed  against  everything  that  had  to 
do  with  algebra,  for,  as  he  said,  he  knew  he  coicld 
not  learn  it. 

Finally  he  became  so  angry  from  being  out-of- 
heart  about  it  that  he  broke  out  in  words  and  said : 
"  I  can't  learn  algebra  and  I'm  not  going  to  keep 
on  studying  it  either.  I  won't  do  it,  Fm  going  to 
quit.'' 

I   waited   a   moment,  the  class  looked  amazed. 


112  DIARY    OF    A 

then  I  said  in  as  pleasant  a  manner  as  though  he 
had  said  nothing  out  of  place,  "  Nate,  you  are  going 
to  learn  this  case  of  factoring  before  you  leave  this 
house  this  evening,  and  you  might  just  as  well 
begin  at  once."  "  I  know  you  can  do  it  and  you 
must  do  it." 

He  turned  again  to  the  black-board,  angry  and 
humiliated,  more  from  his  discouraged  feeling  than 
from  anything  else,  I  thought,  the  tears  streaming 
down  his  cheeks,  and  closely  followed  as  I  dictated 
problem  after  problem,  I  standing  where  1  could 
see  that  he  did  the  work  just  as  I  dictated.  I  was 
determined  to  hold  him  to  the  one  point  for  an  hour 
but  what  he  should  learn  it. 

I  called  on  different  ones  to  explain  the  problem^ 
as  they  solved  them,  and  before  the  end  of  the  les- 
son called  on  Nate.  I  gave  the  problem,  he  solved 
it,  and  explained  the  process.  Then  I  asked  him 
if  he  understood  it.  He  replied  that  he  did,  and 
that  he  could  solve  any  of  that  kind. 

That  was  all  I  cared  for  from  him  for  the  even- 
ing. The  fact  is,  that  a  good  part  of  the  hour  1 
devoted  myself  specially  to  him,  holding  him  to 
the  one  thing  by  sheer  will  force,  the  others  of 
the  class  working  with  very  little  attention  from  me. 

After  we  were  through  I  smiled  and  said  to  Nate 
that  it  did  him  a  great  deal  of  good  to  get  so  angry. 


WESTERN   SCHOOLMASTER.  113 

and  asked  him  what  he  supposed  would  have  hap- 
pened if  I  had  gotten  out  of  humor,  too.  This 
was  asked,  not  tauntingly,  but  in  a  pleasant, 
friendly  manner,  that  he  and  the  class  understood. 
All  laughed,  and  we  parted  in  good  humor,  and  the 
work  for  the  day  was  ended. 

That  lifted  Nate  out  of  the  "  slough  of  despond," 
and  never  again  did  I  help  him  with  a  problem 
in  algebra,  and  ever  after  he  led  the  algebra  class 
with  perfect  ease. 

I  knew  he  had  the  power  to  do  the  work,  and 
that  in  some  way  he  must  be  made  conscious  of 
it;  that  if  I  could  but  center  his  mind  on  the 
process  and  have  him  follow  it  a  few  times  from  dic- 
tation, and  quit  thinking  for  a  moment  that  he 
could  not  do  it,  he  would  see  through  it  instantly, 
and  he  would  become  conscious  of  his  ability  to  do, 
and  would  put  forth  the  effort. 

When  I  saw  him  so  agitated  I  felt  that  then 
was  my  time,  not  simply  as  some  one  might  say 
to  "break  his  will,"  not  this,  but  to  calmly,  and 
pleasantly,  hold  him  to  performing  the  process  until 
his  mind,  highly  excited  as  it  was,  should  grasp  the 
fact  that  he  was  doing  the  very  thing  he  was 
saying  he  could  not  do. 

After  completing  algebra  he  was  in  my  classes  in 
plane  and  solid  geometry,  and  trigonometry.  He 
8 


114  DIARY   OF   A 

was  a  fine  student  in  all  this  work,  and  never  in 
need  of  an  explanation  from  any  one.  I  remem- 
ber once  in  the  trigonometry  class  that  no  one 
could  solve  a  certain  problem  the  first  day  it  was 
given,  but  no  one  was  willing  to  have  it  explained. 
"  We  can  work  it  if  you  will  give  another  day," 
said  the  class.  I  gave  the  day,  but  the  problem 
was  still  unsolved.  "  Give  us  one  more  day  and 
some  of  us  will  solve  it  without  your  help,"  said 
the  class.     Another  day  was  given. 

Before  school  the  next  morning  Nate  came  into 
the  high  school  room  smiling  and  said,  "  I've  solved 
it.  I  was  sitting  down  at  the  barn  last  evening  and 
thought  it  out  while  there.  I've  just  worked  it  in 
my  head,  but  I  know  it's  right.  I'll  put  it  on 
the  blackboard  for  you  to  see  it. ' '  Without  a  book 
he  stepped  to  the  blackboard  and  rapidly  worked 
out  the  problem.  It  was  a  difficult  one  involving 
the  solution  of  a  number  of  triangles  but  he  had  so 
studied  it  that  he  drew  his  figures  and  worked  out 
the  required  results  just  as  quickly  as  he  could  use 
the  chalk.  He  was  the  only  one  that  solved  the 
problem  without  help. 

When  I  first  began  work  in  the  schools  at  G , 

the  boys  had  no  pride  in  their  school,  no  school 
spirit.  A  perfectly  lifeless  routine  affair.  This  I 
knew  must   be  changed,  that  we  must  have  such 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  115 

strong  class  work  that  the  boys  would  realize  they 
were  getting  something  for  their  time  and  that  there 
must  also  be  something  other  than  lessons  in  which 
they  could  be  interested  and  feel  that  it  in  a  special 
sense  was  theirs. 

Without  discussing  the  good  of  declamatory  con- 
tests in  themselves  I  have  learned  that  as  a  means 
to  an  end  they  are  an  excellent  thing.  A  good 
declamatory  contest  rightly  managed  begets  a  school 
spirit  that  is  most  healthful. 

I  determined  to  close  the  term  with  a  public 
declamatory  entertainment.  But  then  came  the 
question  how  to  induce  the  boys  fifteen  or  sixteen 
years  of  age  to  speak.  In  a  school  where  there  has 
been  no  speaking,  this  is  a  serious  question.  Be- 
fore announcing  publicly  to  the  school  what  we 
were  going  to  do,  beginning  with  Nate  I  took  the 
boys  privately  one  at  a  time,  explained  to  them 
what  I  wished  to  do  and  asked  their  help. 

I  talked  with  Nate,  stated  that  I  would  like  to 
give  a  declamatory  entertainment  at  about  such  a 
time  and  would  like  him  to  be  one  of  the  speakers. 

"  But  I  can't  speak  "  said  Nate.  "  That's  true, 
Nate,  but  you  can  learn  to  speak  and  you  would 
like  to  do  that,  I'm  sure."  "  Father  is  a  good 
declaimer  and  I  would  like  to  learn,  but  I  am 
afraid  I  couldn't  do  any  good"  said  he.     "I'll 


116  DIARY    OF   A 

tell  you  what  I'll  do,  Nate,  if  you  will  agree  to  try 
to  help  me  out  in  this,  I'll  find  a  piece,  drill  you  in 
speaking  it,  and  then  if  you  think  you  cannot 
speak  it  well  enough  to  speak  it  in  public,  I'll 
excuse  you  from  speaking  it."  "Is  that  fair?" 
"Yes,  it. is  fair,"  said  he.  "Well,  yon  talk  it 
over  with  your  father  to-night  and  tell  me  in  the 
morning  if  you  will  do  it  "  said  I,  "  but  don't 
speak  of  it  to  any  of  the  other  boys  until  we  have 
decided  what  we  shall  do." 

The  next  morning  Nate  told  me  that  his  father 
was  pleased  with  the  idea  of  his  trying  to  speak 
and  that  I  could  count  on  him. 

Then  I  carefully  selected  another  boy  somewhat 
of  a  leader,  and  gave  him  the  same  explanation  of 
my  plan,  and  finished  by  stating  that  Nate  had 
already  pledged  me  he  would  declaim.  This  was 
enough,  he  would  do  what  Nate  would  do ;  I  could 
count  on  him. 

In  this  way  I  proceeded  until  I  had  my  program 
completed.  Then  I  announced  to  the  school  that 
at  such  a  time  we  would  give  a  declamatory  pro- 
gram and  read  the  names  of  those  who  expected  to 
take  part.  It  was  a  surprise  to  the  school  and 
awakened  great  interest. 

I  selected,  or  aided  the  boys  in  selecting,  decla- 
mations and  for  several  weeks  gave  my  spare  time 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  117 

before  school  of  mornings  and  after  school  of  even- 
ings to  training  them  to  speak.  They  took  great 
interest  in  trying  to  do  their  best,  and  the  close 
companionship  this  drilling  them  brought  about 
between  the  boys  and  myself  was  of  the  greatest 
value  to  us  both. 

In  all  this  work  Nate  was  the  one  that  uncon- 
sciously to  himself  and  the  others  helped  me  to 
bring  about  the  desired  result.  He  was  no  longer 
a  ' '  thorn  in  the  flesh  ' '  to  the  principal  but  rather 
a  "  spur "  to  the  school  to  press  on  to  better 
things. 

Do  not  think  I  mean  to  say  that  Nate  was  a  per- 
fect model  in  deportment.  He  was  a  strong-willed 
boy  and  sometimes  let  his  boyishness  lead  him  to 
do  things  that  were  not  strictly  in  accord  with  the 
discipline  of  the  school,  but  he  was  always  easily 
brought  to  proper  conduct  by  an  appeal  to  his 
sense  of  honor ;  he  was  manly  through  and  through. 

Nate's  habits  of  study  were  different  from  most 
boys ;  he  would  sit  in  the  high  school  apparently 
gazing  around  the  room,  a  smile  on  his  face  as  if 
bent  on  mischief  and  waiting  his  opportunity ;  and 
yet  all  the  while  his  mind  was  occupied  with  some 
difficult  point  in  a  lesson.  If  it  happened  to  be  a 
problem  in  mathematics  he  were  thinking  out,  if  you 
were  to  watch  him  for  a  few  moments,  you  would 


118  DIARY    OF    A 

see  him  take  up  his  pencil  and  figure  rapidly  for  a 
short  time.  He  was  putting  in  form  what  he  had 
been  thinking  out,  and  generally  he  was  sure  of  the 
result  before  he  made  use  of  his  pencil. 

I  remember  one  teacher  whom  he  annoyed  very 
much  at  first  by  this  habit.  She  said  to  me : 
"  Nate  doesn't  study  to  do  much  good  while  I  am 
in  charge  of  the  room  but  spends  most  of  his  time 
looking  around  ;  now  and  then  he  figures  a  little  but 
not  long  at  a  time." 

This  was  before  I  knew  him  well  so  at  her  re- 
quest I  spoke  to  him  about  his  spending  so  much 
time  looking  around  the  room  when  he  should  have 
his  mind  centered  on  his  lessons.  "  But,"  said  he, 
"I  am  studying  when  I'm  looking  around;  I'm 
thinking  out  my  problems  and  then  afterwards  I  put 
them  down.  Don't  I  always  have  my  lessons?  "  1 
had  to  admit  that  I  heard  no  complaints  of  his  not 
preparing  his  lessons.  As  we  knew  him  better  we 
found  that  he  was  all  the  time  at  work  even  when 
apparently  gazing  around  the  room. 

Most  of  his  school  work  he  prepared  during 
school  hours,  except  his  mathematical  problems. 
These  he  often  carried  in  his  mind  and  solved  them 
while  engaged  at  other  work. 

His  parents  were  wealthy  and  took  gi'eat  delight 
in  their  children.     At  home  Nate  exhibited  quite  a 


WESTERN    8CHOOLMAS1ER.  119 

liking  for  mechanical  work  and  the  father,  to  en- 
courage him,  fitted  up  a  room  for  a  shop  and  sup- 
plied him  with  whatever  tools  he  called  for.  Before 
he  graduated  from  the  high  school,  Nate  was  a  fine 
gun-smith,  an  expert  in  repairing  locks,  guns,  and 
bicycles.  During  the  last  two  years  of  his  high 
school  course,  his  mornings,  evenings,  and  Satur- 
days, were  given  to  this  kind  of  work.  He  often 
made  a  day's  wages  after  school  of  an  evening. 
This  work  in  no  way  interfered  with  his  school 
work. 

During  the  three  years  Nate  was  in  the  high 
school  he  was  one  of  the  most  loyal,  helpful  high 
school  boys  I  have  ever  known  and  his  leadership 
had  a  marked  influence  over  the  younger  boys. 
These  boys  who  have  the  faculty  of  leadership  are 
a  great  blessing  to  any  school  if  they  are  wisely 
turned  in  the  right  direction. 


CHAPTER     XVII 


AL    AND    WALTER 


There  had  been  no  fighting  among  our  high  school 
boys  on  the  way  to  and  from  school  for  almost  a 
year,  when  one  noon  I  was  much  surprised  to  learn 
that  two  of  the  best  boys  in  school  had  engaged  in 
a  fist  fight  "with  a  large  boy  from  one  of  the  gram- 
mar grades. 

It  happened  in  this  way :  Al  and  Walter  were 
walking  along  when  the  grammar  grade  boy  came 
up  to  Al  and  spoke  in  a  manner  that  made  Al  very 
angry.  Quick  as  flash  Al  resented  the  words  and 
instantly  they  were  fighting.  The  grammar  grade 
boy  was  as  old  as  Al  and  a  better  trained  fighter, 
so  Walter  at  once  stepped  in  to  help  his  friend.  It 
was  on  one  of  the  public  streets  of  the  town  and  as 
(120) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  121 

usual  attracted  a  crowd  and  caused  a  great  commo- 
tion. 

I  felt  heartily  ashamed  of  the  whole  affair.  Such 
things  had  once  been  so  common  that  no  one  took 
much  note  of  them,  but  now  that  we  had  gone  almost 
a  year  without  anything  of  the  kind,  this  seemed  all 
the  more  disgraceful  to  the  school ;  but  while  I  was 
ashamed  of  it,  I  was  in  no  way  out  of  heart  over 
the  break  in  the  good  record  we  had  been  making. 
Such  breaks  always  come ;  the  only  problem  is  to  so 
deal  with  them  that  in  the  end  good  lessons  may  be 
given  the  school  and  the  possibility  of  such  occur- 
ences in  the  future  lessened. 

I  hastily  considered  the  matter  that  I  might  have 
some  plan  of  action  mapped  out  in  mind  to  present 
when  school  opened  for  the  afternoon.  I  knew 
everyone  was  anxious  to  know  what  would  be  done. 

We  opened  school  as  usual.  Without  attracting 
any  attention  the  boys  were  quietly  requested  to  pass 
to  my  otBce,  where  I  met  them.  They  Avere  both 
humiliated  at  what  they  had  done.  There  had 
been  time  for  their  tempers  to  cool  and  they  could 
see  how  unfortunate  their  conduct  was  for  them- 
selves and  for  the  school. 

I  said  to  them  that  once  fighting  had  been  so 
common  on  the  way  to  and  from  school  that  people 
living  on  the  school  street  lost   all  respect   for  the 


122  DIARY    OF   A 

school ;  that  for  almost  a  year  there  had  been  no 
trouble  of  any  kind  and  that  the  change  had  been 
so  marked  that  the  people  of  the  whole  town  felt 
proud  of  it ;  but  now  a  break  had  been  made  that 
would  take  us  a  year  at  least  to  live  down  ;  that  the 
fight  had  lessened  the  respect  that  the  people  had 
for  us  and  also  put  before  the  younger  boys  an 
example  that  would  make  them  feel  that  they  too 
could  get  mad  and  fight  on  any  provocation ;  that 
while  we  could  not  help  what  had  been  done,  we 
must  try  to  prevent  like  happenings  in  the 
future. 

"  And  now,  boys,"  said  I,  "  you  say  you  are 
sorry  you  engaged  in  the  fight,  and  I  believe  you 
are  and  am  willing  to  forgive  you  ;  but  the  evil 
effect  of  this  wrong  doing  on  yourselves  and  on 
others,  I  cannot  so  easily  clear  away."  "  In  the 
first  place,  there  must  be  some  punishment  con- 
nected with  this  that  will  cause  you  to  stop  and 
think  before  giving  away  to  unruly  tempers ;  in 
the  second  place,  the  other  boys  of  the  school  must 
see  that  wrong-doing  on  the  part  of  leading  boys  in 
the  high  school  meets  its  just  deserts  as  quickly  as 
with  any  others ;  this,  I  know,  you  will  say  is 
nothing  more  than  fair." 

"  What  that  punishment  should  be,  I  do  not 
know."     "  I  will  not  be  hasty  in  this,  neither  will 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  123 

I  take  it  on  myself  alone  to  decide,  but  will  ask  you 
to  tell  me  what  you  think  it  should  be  ;  you  under- 
stand the  offense  and  I  am  sure  will  try  to  put  a 
just  estimate  on  it,  so  you  may  think  it  over  until 
to-morrow  morning,  when  you  will  report  to  me." 

The  next  morning  they  met  me  in  my  office  but 
said  they  could  think  of  nothing  to  suggest ;  for  me 
to  make  the  punishment  whatever  I  thought  right 
and  they  would  abide  by  my  decision  without  any 
complaining. 

In  the  meantime  I  had  not  been  idle  but  had 
weighed  the  offense  trying  to  take  every  circumstance 
into  consideration ;  Al  and  Walter  were  two  of  my 
most  trusty  boys  in  the  high  school ;  Al's  quick  tem- 
per was  the  only  thing  that  ever  gave  him  any  trouble 
and  on  this  occasion  there  was  some  provocation ; 
Walter  had  never  before  been  reproved  for  anything ; 
they  were  two  boys  whose  high  school  records  for 
the  year  had  been  as  clear  as  such  records  can  be ; 
they  had  shown  a  willingness  to  submit  to  whatever 
I  required  and  to  do  it  in  a  pleasant  spirit ;  there 
had  been  no  self-justification. 

I  said  to  the  boys  that  I  had  one  solution  to  offer  ; 
if  it  did  not  meet  their  approval,  we  would  try  to 
find  one  that  would.  My  solution  was  that  from 
that  day  on  until  such  a  time  as  I  saw  fit  to 
relieve  them,  they  should  not  come  to  school  or  go 


124  DIAKY    OF    A 

home  from  school  with  the  other  pupils ;  they 
should  remain  at  home  until  the  last  bell  began  to 
ring,  then  come  to  school  down  one  of  the  back 
streets  which  I  designated ;  that  when  school  was 
dismissed  at  noon  and  evening  they  should  remain 
in  their  seats  until  all  others  were  gone,  then  go 
home  by  the  back  street ;  and  that  in  order  that  all 
might  know  that  the  offense  had  not  been  passed 
over  I  would  explain  to  the  school  what  they  were 
to  do. 

The  boys  said  that  they  were  willing  to  follow 
out  this  plan.  Before  we  dismissed  school  that 
noon,  I  talked  to  the -school  of  the  fight.  I  said 
nothing  unkind  of  the  boys,  I  spoke  of  their  al- 
most perfect  record  in  the  past,  and  of  how  proud 
we  all  felt  that  fighting  had  so  long  ceased  to  take 
from  the  good  name  of  our  high  school ;  and  that 
while  we  all  felt  that  the  fight  had  hurt  us,  we  must 
try  the  harder  to  guard  ourselves  against  such 
things  in  the  future.  The  school  was  with  me  in 
sympathy  and  so  were  Al  and  Walter.  Then  I 
explained  what  we  had  agreed  upon  and  asked  that 
the  fight  and  everything  connected  with  it  be  drop- 
ped as  a  subject  of  conversation. 

I  heard  no  more  of  it.  Al  and  Walter  kept  their 
part  to  the  very  letter  for  two  months,  without  a 
sour  word,  or  anuopleasant  look. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  125 

At  the  end  of  the  second  month  I  said :  ' '  Boys , 
you  have  regained  in  every  way  your  place  in  the 
school,  and  you  are  free  to  go  and  come  with  the 
others." 

I  was  in  the  high  school  several  years  after  this 
but  fighting  among  the  high  school  boys  was  never 
again  clothed  with  the  semblance  of  respectability. 


CHAPTER     XVIIl 


WASH 


Shortly  after  I  began  my  work  in  the schools, 

I  discovered  a  boy  in  one  of  the  seventh  grades ,  a 
colored  boy  of  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  who  was 
very  irregular  in  attendance,  the  mother  always 
writing  an  excuse  for  him  noth withstanding  the  fact 
that  when  he  was  not  in  school  he  spent  much  of 
his  time  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  school  appar- 
ently loafing. 

After  consulting  with  his  teacher  I  was  convinced 
that  there  was  no  good  reason  for  his  being  absent 
so  often  and  I  decided  that  there  must  be  a  differ- 
ent arrangement  and  such  ' '  excused ' '  truancy 
stopped. 

A  day  or  two  later  he  was  absent  from  school 
again.  That  day,  soon  after  school  opened  at 
noon,  as  I  was  going  from  the  building  in  which  his 
(126) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  127 

school  was  located,  I  happened  to  look  down  a  by- 
street and  saw  my  colored  boy  peeping  out  of  a 
door  of  a  planing  mill  to  watch  when  I  should  be 
out  of  sight.  I  said  to  myself  "  that  boy  will  from 
now  on  either  be  in  school  regularly  or  spend  his 
time  elsewhere  than  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
school  house." 

The  next  morning  he  was  still  absent.  I  went  to 
see  his  mother.  I  talked  to  her  about  Wash  and 
his  school  work ;  how  important  it  was  for  him  to 
be  there  every  day,  how  much  he  could  do  if  he . 
were  only  regular  in  attendance.  She  seemed 
pleased  that  I  took  so  much  interest  in  him  but 
finally  said :  "  Well,  Wash.,  he  don't  like  his  teacher 
and  he  don't  like  to  go  to  school,  so  I  let  him  go 
errands  for  me.  He's  not  playing  truant,  he's 
goin'  errands." 

"  But  Mrs.  T ,"  said  I,  "  You  cannot  afford 

to  work  so  hard  to  support  Wash,  and  have  him 
spend  most  of  his  time  loafing  around  the  streets. 
He  could  do  your  errands  and  still  be  in  school  all 
day.  You  and  your  girls  work  very  hard ;  Wash,  is 
better  able  to  work  than  any  of  you,  and  if  he  is 
not  going  to  be  in  school  to  do  any  good,  he  had 
better  get  a  job  of  work.  Where  is  he  now?  " 
"  O ,  he  has  gone  down  town  to  get  me  a  spool  of 
thread,"  she  replied. 


128  DIAKY    OF    A 

I  told  her  what  I  knew  to  be  true,  that  Wash,  was 
doing  some  things  while  loaring  around  that  would 
get  him  into  trouble  and  that  the  best  thing  for  her 
to  do  was  to  help  us  hold  him  in  school  or  put  him 
to  work. 

But  there  was  nothing  to  be  gained  by  talking 
further  with  her  for  she  finally  said  that  as  he 
didn't  like  his  teacher  she  couldn't  make  him  go  to 
school.     (He  had  an  excellent  teacher.) 

I  left  her  determined  that,  while  she  could  not 
help  me  in  the  least,  I  would  find  some  other  way 
to  get  that  boy  off  the  streets  and  away  from  the 
neighborhood  of  the  schools  if  I  could  not  get  him 
to  attend  school  regularly. 

As  1  passed  down  the  street  I  met  one  of  our 
city  officers,  one  who  had  been  quite  active  in  help- 
ing me  enforce  the  compulsory  attendance  law ;  I 
said  to  him  that  there  were  two  or  three  boys, 
beyond  the  compulsory  age,  hanging  around  the 
neighborhood  of  the  Central  School  that  I  would 
like  to  compel  either  to  attend  school  regularly  or 
go  to  work.     I  then  told  him  of  Wash. 

He  knew  the  boy  only  too  well  and  was  informed 
as  to  his  conduct,  which  had  not  been  of  the  best, 
by  any  means.  "  I'll  send  him  to  the  reform 
school  if  he  does  not  attend  school  regularly,"  said 
he,  and  he   meant  it.     "  May  I  go   and  tell  his 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  129 

mother  that  you  said  you  would  send  Wash,  to  the 
reform  school  if  he  does  not  attend  school  every 
day?  "  I  asked.  "  Yes,  go  and  tell  her,  and  if  he 
does  not  change  his  course  at  once,  I'll  send  him 
there  in  a  hurry." 

I  did  not  wait  to  inquire  on  what  grounds  he 
would  commit  the  boy  but  I  knew  that  he  thought 
that  he  had  all  the  evidence  necessary.     I  lost  no 

time  in  delivering  the  message.     "  Mrs.  T ," 

said  I,   "  Mr.  R sent  me  to  tell  you  that  if 

Wash,  did  not  at  once  enter  school  and  attend  regu- 
larly, he  would  send  him  to  the  reform  school." 

*'  Law  goodness,"  said  she,  "  we  don't  want  him 
to  go  there  shoah."  "  No,"  said  I ;  "  you  do  not 
for  if  he  goes  there  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  you 
see  him.  The  best  thing  for  Wash,  is  to  get  liim 
into  school  at  once  and  keep  him  there."  "  He'll 
be  in  this  afternoon,  shoah,"  renJied  she,  "  and 
he'll  be  there  all  the  time." 

I  knew  that  Wash.,  as  well  as  his  mother,  would 

be  frightened  when  they  knew  that  Mr.  B had 

made  such  a  threat. 

Wash,  came  to  school  that  afternoon  and  was 
regular  in  his  attendance  to  the  close  of  the  year. 

Here  was  a  well-meaning  but  weak-willed  mother, 
a  mother  with  no  control  of  her  boy.  This  was  the 
cHuse  of  his  truancy.  Whether  or  not  the  medicine 
9 


130  DIARY   OF   A 

was  properly  administered,  I  know  not,  but  I  do 
know  that  it  at  least  stayed  the  ravages  of  the 
disease  in  his  case. 

All  this  was  done  kindly,  so  that  the  family  feel 
that  I  am  their  friend  even  though  they  must  bend 
to  my  will  in  school  affairs. 


CHAPTER    XIX 


REX 


Rex  was  about  ten  years  old  and  was  working  in 
a  broom  factory  when  school  opened.  When  we 
found  that  he  was  not  in  school  the  truant  officer 
called  at  the  home  to  inquire  about  him.  His 
mother  said  that  he  had  work  and  that  she  thought 
it  was  her  place  to  say  whether  or  not  her  boy 
should  go  to  school ;  that  she  did  not  believe  in  a 
law  that  took  the  control  of  her  boy  out  of  her  hands. 
As  he  did  not  immediately  put  in  an  appearance,  I 
went  with  the  truant  officer  to  see  the  mother.  She 
said  he  had  quit  work  but  she  did  not  know  whether 
or  not  he  would  go  to  school. 

I  knew  from  her  strong  face  that  if  she  said  Rex 
must  go,  he  would  go.  I  talked  with  her  trying  to 
lead  her  to  see  the  importance  of  her  boy's  being  in 
school,  appealed  to  her  pride  that  her  boy  should 

(131) 


132  DIARY    OF    A 

have  the  same  show  to  get  along  as  her  neighbor's 
boys  who  were  in  school,  and  then  kindly  but 
firmly  insisted  that  there  was  no  question,  the  boy 
must  be  in  school  at  least  four  months,  the  com- 
pulsory limit;  and  I  said  that  I  hoped  that  she 
would  not  make  it  necessary  for  me  to  go  to  further 
trouble  to  enforce  the  law. 

She  agreed  to  send  Rex  the  next  morning  but 
said  after  that  we  would  have  to  take  charge  of  him, 
for  he  did  not  like  to  go  to  school.  I  knew  when 
she  said  he  would  be  there  the  next  morning  that 
he  would  come,  but  I  also  knew  that  she  did  not 
expect  him  to  be  there  every  day. 

Rex  came  the  next  morning  and  for  a  number 
of  days.  Then  he  was  reported  absent,  and  the 
truant  officer  looked  him  up  and  brought  him  to 
school. 

An  incident  happened  at  this  time  that  gave  me 
almost  complete  control  of  him,  and  thus  far  has 
saved  all  trouble.  A  thieving  man  employed  Rex 
and  another  boy  to  steal  the  brass  trimmings  off  of 
a  locomotive  that  was  being  dismantled,  and  to 
carry  them  to  a  place  where  he  dared  take  posses- 
sion of  them.  He  gave  the  boys  a  few  pennies  for 
their  work.  The  theft  was  discovered,  the  man  and 
the  boys  were  arrested,  and  there  was  talk  of  send- 
ing the  boys  to  the  reform   school.     The  man  lay 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  133 

in  jail  three  months.  I  investigated  the  affair, 
and  knowing  all  felt  that  it  would  not  be  right  to 
deal  with  the  boys  too  severely.  I  made  a  plea 
privately  in  behalf  of  the  boys,  asking  that  their 
I)arents  be  instructed  that  the  boys  must  attend 
school  regularly  or  they  would  be  sent  to  the 
reform  school ;  that  the  sentence  should  not  be 
executed  so  long  as  the  boys  attended  school  every 
day. 

My  request  was  granted,  the  sentence  was  stayed, 
and  they  were  permitted  to  remain  at  home  during 
good  behavior. 

The  boy  that  played  truant  plays  truant  no  more, 
and  the  mother  sees  to  it  that  he  is  in  school. 
Among  "  her  class  "  she  is  one  of  my  strong  sup- 
porters in  enforcing  the  law  she  once  tried  hard  to 
evade.  My  words  in  favor  of  giving  her  boy  an- 
other trial  won  her  to  my  side,  and  made  her  feel 
that  I  was  a  friend,  and  not  simply  trying  to  take 
away  her  rights. 


CHAPTER    XX 

CARL  AND  SOME  OTHER  BOYS 

Carl  was  twelve  years  of  age  ;  a  bright,  sturdy  boy. 
His  mother  had  died  when  he  was  six  years  old. 
For  several  years  after  his  mother's  death  he  lived 
with  his  grand-parents.  They  became  tired  of  him, 
as  he  was  too  self-willed  for  them  to  control.  Then 
his  father  toolc  him  to  live  with  him.  The  father 
and  the  boy  lived  and  kept  house  for  a  number  of 
weeks  in  a  single  room.  The  father  is  an  honest, 
hard-working  man.  As  he  told  me  a  few  weeks 
ago,  he  would  get  up  in  the  morning,  cook  their 
breakfast  and  eat  his  own  while  the  boy  was  still 
asleep.  The  father  is  a  teamster  and  is  engaged  in 
hauling  hay  from  the  country.  After  he  left  in  the 
morning  he  saw  no  more  of  Carl  until  noon,  when 
they  ate  dinner  together ;  then  he  knew  no  more  of 
him  until  evening.  In  the  evening  the  father  Avould 
(134) 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER  135 

often  go  out  in  town,  and  Carl,  left  to  himself,  did 
the  same.  Do  you  wonder,  that  with  such  home 
conditions  it  was  a  difficult  task  to  hold  him  regu- 
larly in  school? 

Frequently  he  would  be  reported  absent.  The  tru- 
ant officer  at  first  had  trouble  to  find  the  father,  but 
when  he  did  find  him  the  father  was  much  worried 
about  his  boy,  for  he  wanted  him  to  be  in  school 
every  day.  We  not  only  notified  the  father  but  the 
police  as  well,  so  that  they  would  bring  Carl  in  if 
found  on  the  street.  But  for  some  time  he  was 
more  than  an  equal  for  his  father,  the  police,  and 
the  truant  officer.  Before  school  time  in  the 
morning  he  would  take  a  dog  or  two  and  "  skip  " 
to  the  country  to  hunt  rabbits. 

One  evening  his  father  whipped  him  very  severely 
and  made  him  promise  that  he  would  go  to  school 
the  next  morning,  but  it  seems  the  dogs  and 
rabbits  had  a  greater  influence  on  him  than  the 
whipping,  he  went  hunting. 

1  talked  with  Carl,  cultivated  his  acquaintance, 
and  tried  to  find  out  why  he  was  so  determined  to 
be  out  of  school.  All  he  would  say  was  that  he 
liked  to  go  to  school  bad  days  but  would  rather  go 
hunting  good  days. 

He  was  not  an  unpleasant  boy  in  school,  the  only 
difficulty   was   to  get  him  into  school.     The  fact 


136  DIARY    OF    A 

that  he  always  went  to  the  country  made  it  hard  for 
the  truant  officer  to  catch  him. 

I  realized  all  the  time  that  what  the  boy  needed 
was  a  home  where  some  one  would  look  after  him. 
I  finally  learned  that  he  had  an  aunt  in  town.  I 
saw  her  and  told  her  that  I  thought  a  good  home 
would  do  away  with  the  boy's  truancy.  She  finally 
agreed  to  take  him  into  her  home,  although  she  was 
not  really  able  to  do  it.  He  lived  with  her  for  a 
number  of  weeks  until  his  father  moved  from  our 
town,  and  as  long  as  he  was  with  her  he  never 
again  played  truant. 

While  working  with  this  boy  and  studying  his 
case,  I  felt  that  one  great  need  of  the  State  to-day 
is  parental  schools,  accessible  to  districts  outside 
of  the  large  cities,  where  habitual  truants  whose 
home  conditions  are  such  as  to  render  it  almost 
impossible  to  keep  them  in  school,  could  be  sent. 
Schools  where  truants  could  be  sent  and  no  stigma 
attach  itself  to  them  for  having  been  there.  Places 
where  there  would  be  no  suggestion  of  a  criminal 
class. 
1/  One  afternoon  four  boys  were  reported  absent 
from  school.  Before  the  day  was  over  the  truant 
officer  brought  word  that  the  four  boys  were  spend- 
ing the  afternoon  sunning  themselves  down  by  the 
railroad  just  outside  the  town.     They  wei'e  seventh 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  137 

and  eighth  grade  boys.  Some  one  had  seen  them 
and  notified  the  officer.  I  did  not  ask  him  to  bring 
them  in.  I  knew  thej  would  come  of  their  own 
accord  in  the  morning,  and  that  would  be  the  best 
time  to  meet  them.  They  were  not  habitual 
truants. 

^  The  next  morning  they  were  in  school.  I  sent 
for  them  to  come  to  my  office  one  at  a  time.  The 
first  that  came  was  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  a 
good  fellow.  I  asked  him  why  he  was  out  of  school 
the  afternoon  before,  how  he  happened  to  be  out. 
He  told  me  the  whole  story.  One  boy  had  dared 
the  others  to  stay  out  of  school  and  he  couldn' 
take  a  dare.  I  then  asked  if  he  did  not  think  we 
would  find  it  out.  He  said  he  knew  we  would  but 
he  did  not  "  like  for  the  others  to  back  him  down." 
He  then  said,  "  Give  me  a  good  whipping,  I  ought 
to  have  it;  so  just  give  it  to  me;  "  and  he  was 
ready  to  take  it. 

I  talked  with  him  a  few  moments  longer  and 
tried  to  place  a  just  estimate  on  the  offense  and  not 
to  magnify  it  so  that  he  would  think  he  had  com- 
mitted an  unpardonable  crime.  Then  I  told  him  I 
would  let  him  know  in  the  evening  what  the  punish- 
ment would  be. 

One  after  another  I  interviewed  them.  Each 
one  told  me  what  I  knew  to  be  true ;  no  one  tried 


138  DIARY    OF    A 

to  excuse  himself,  and  each  one  said  that  he  had 
done  wrong  and  ought  to  suffer  the  penalty  what- 
ever I  thought  it  should  be. 

The  one  point  I  aimed  at  in  my  talk  with  them 
was  to  be  just,  neither  underestimating  nor  over- 
estimating the  offense.  When  boys  know  that  we 
are  just,  and  our  sense  of  justice  must  be  from  a 
boy's  point  of  view  largely,  there  is  little  difficulty 
in  settling  troubles  with  them. 

In  the  evening  I  met  the  four  together  and  sub- 
mitted what  seemed  to  me  the  proper  thing  to  do  ; 
not  to  whip  them  as  some  of  them  had  suggested, 
but  to  let  them  remain  thirty  minutes  each  evening 
until  the  time  lost  should  be  made  up.  I  asked  them 
if  they  thought  it  fair  or  if  they  could  suggest  a 
better  arrangement,  saying  that  I  should  be  glad  to 
have  them  do  so  if  they  could.  They  said  it  was 
all  right,  that  they  would  be  glad  to  settle  it  that 
way. 

1  did  not  pledge  them  not  to  do  so  again,  but 
said  to  them  pleasantly  as  we  parted:  "Boys,  I 
hope  you  will  try  not  to  get  us  into  this  kind  of 
trouble  again." 

Theirs  was  only  a  sporadic  case  of  truancy  and 
I  do  not  know  but  that  it  proved  a  real  good ;  it 
brought  the  boys  and  myself  into  closer  touch  ;  I 
saw  more  real  worth  in  them  than  I  had  seen  before. 


WESTERN    SCHOOLMASTER.  139 

and  as  they  left  my  office  I  could  but  admire  the 
real  manliness  of  the  boys  notwithstanding  their 
faults. 

Three  years  ago  when  visiting  a  school  in  an  east- 
ern city  I  happened  to  step  into  a  fifth  grade  room. 
I  had  been  there  but  a  moment  before  I  felt  the 
harsh,  forbidding  atmosphere.  You  know  you  can 
feel  such  things  even  before  understanding  the 
cause.  The  teacher's  voice  was  harsh  and  rasping 
as  a  file.  Presently  she  turned  to  me  and  said : 
' '  Do  you  have  many  bad  boys  in  your  school  ?  ' ' 
"No,"  I  replied,  "  very  few."  "We  do,"  con- 
tinued she,  "  they  are  most  all  bad!"  Now  I 
think  that  if  a  boy  is  ever  justified  in  playing 
truant  it  is  when  he  has  such  a  person  for  his 
teacher. 

Sometimes  I  have  transferred  a  boy  from  one 
teacher  to  another  in  the  same  grade,  for  the  sake 
of  giving  him  a  teacher  who  could  so  interest  him 
that  he  would  cease  to  play  truant.  This  is  a  sim- 
ple but  very  effective  means  of  preventing  truancy 
where  the  cause  is  weak  parental  authority  at  home, 
and  a  teacher  at  school  who  fails  to  strike  the 
proper  responsive  chord  in  the  boy. 

In  all  I  have  said  of  these  boys  and  truancy  my 
one  aim  has  been  to  bring  out  the  thought  that  we 
must  treat  each  individual  case  on  its  own  merits. 


140     DIARY   OF   A   WI5STERN   SCHOOLMASTER. 

and  that  to  do  this,  there  must  be  a  clear  under- 
standing of  the  causes.  It  pays  in  smaller  cities 
and  towns  for  the  superintendent  to  become  per- 
sonally acquainted  with  those  who  have  a  tendency 
to  truancy.  Often,  if  he  is  a  man  of  warm  heart, 
his  words. do  more,  much  more,  than  the  words  of 
the  teacher  toward  interesting  the  boy  in  his  school 
work.  We,  superintendents  and  teachers,  and  in 
the  larger  cities  principals  and  teachers,  should 
know  the  home  conditions  in  such  cases  to  have 
the  sympathetic  support  of  parents  where  it  is  most 
needed.  We  cannot  handle  people  with  tongs  and 
draw  forth  the  proper  response.  We  must  under- 
stand and  appreciate,  from  their  point  of  view,  the 
life  they  live  to  be  helpful  to  them. 


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